Patrons to the 2nd annual Saint Lucia Carnival Launch NYC Edition hosted this past Sunday May 22nd 2011 in Brooklyn NY by the Saint Lucia International Carnival Committee (SLICC) were treated to an afternoon packed with the colorful sights, pulsating sounds and tantalizing tastes of what one can expect at this year’s festival. Many of the Saint Lucian carnival bands who've launched for the 2011 season had their portrayals on display while Saint Lucian dj's and soca artistes, including groovy soca powerhouse Teddyson John and mister energy himself Pringles aka Superman HD, alongside their New York based regional counterparts, like Lyrikal and Ma$tamind among others, along with Kerry D Drummer provided the afternoons entertainment.
Among the highlights of the event was an unveiling of Brooklyn based KARMA Carnival Band's private section in one of Saint Lucia's premiere carnival bands, Just4Fun, for their 2011 portrayal of "The Next Adventure". The section on offer is called "Chrysopolis" and is based on a wealthy port city founded by the Greeks in 7th century BC. This "golden city", as the name translates to in Greek, was said to shine at sunset when viewed from a distance and was the location of a gold depository for the Persian Empire. Chrysopolis also served as an important staging post in the wars between the Greeks and Persians. KARMA has harnessed this shining golden fortification of a city and is ready to embark on this "next adventure" to spread their philosophy of quality mas to yet another carnival. Persons in this particular section have the unique opportunity and bonus to play mas in Saint Lucia in Just4Fun come July then use their costume again in KARMA for Labor Day. This added bang for your buck is expected to resonate positively with potential/prospective masqueraders and so far it has and it was a good night for KARMA as interest in Chrysopolis grew quickly once the design was formerly revealed to those in attendance. Many took the chance to register on the spot and some even paid in full, while others who’d already registered in other sections in Just4Fun inquired about switching to this new section.
The release of Chrysopolis comes close on the heels of the unveiling of KARMA's very own portrayal theme and logo for the 2011 Labor Day season. This year’s theme is "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and past and prospective masqueraders can look forward to seeing the KARMA-Just4Fun section and others as part of this new presentation. For over a month now the public has been teased with the tag line "free your mind to soar above and beyond the realm of reality", and this next piece in the puzzle takes us one step closer to the full reveal.
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