Hia,
please please please can you raise the thong issue??? I mean I understand people are more and more open to the idea of wearing a thong, why not. But please tell them it is NOT for everybody.
How many times my eyes were hurt by women who do NOT have the shape to wear such and it just looked nasty, or even worst , some were not EVEN wearing stockings ( was playing with TRIBE)
On Monday I saw a few wearing a thong only with NO stockings...thanks to "some" waistband on Tuesday it was less horrid but still...
I may be too picky but the "once you go thong you can go wrong" anthem I hear, this mas is WRONG!!!!!!
Greetings peeps, Kermit D. Frog here.
Over the past 10 plus years, Bacchanal Wednesday has evolved from a sweet party in the Oval in downtown Port-of-Spain to the massive fete that it is today and some say that this growth has taken away much of its charm and allure in order to cater to a high volume of attendees. While I understand that the growth of as good a party as Bacchanal Wednesday undoubtedly is cannot be stopped, there comes a point beyond which the original concept is lost and a new paradigm takes over. That may not necessarily be a bad thing, but those of us who remember its early days in the Oval can’t help but yearn just a little bit for those times and some of the conveniences we took for granted. Parking, for example, was much easier back in the day. For that matter, simply getting to the fete was considerably less taxing then than it is today which brings me to where I am now…on my way to Chaguaramas to see what’s what at Bacchanal Wednesday 2009.
In order to avoid the usual drama that ensues when more than 8,000 people try to drive to a party location which has only one road in and out, the crew decided to get there REAL early and get citrus in the car park outside the venue. This would serve two main purposes: firstly, we would not be stuck in traffic for hours and, secondly we would be able to get our drink on with our own stocks rather than paying a small fortune to the bars inside the fete. With this plan in mind, we set out nice and early with ample stocks in the back and made our way to Bowen Marine, the site of Bacchanal Wednesday. After cruising there at a nice pace we arrived without incident around 9:30 pm and parked in a spot adjacent to the main road and only a few hundred yards away from the fete. We broke out the drinks and settled in for a nice gape. Since all traffic passed us on the way into the car park, we were treated to a preview of what we would see later that night and it was all good.
One of the greatest things about Bacchanal Wednesday was the gape. The sheer volume of beautiful women that come to this party staggers the imagination and fortunately, that had not diminished in any way. By now, much of the paved parking where we were was filled and cars were being directed into a vast field. With all the rain that had fallen earlier in the day and week, although the field was not a swamp, most of it was mud yet these beauties, replete in heels and white pants (tight of course) were emerging from the field without so much as a smudge anywhere. Maybe they had some kind of car park levitation skill or something but while you could see some mud on the fellas shoes, the ladies feet were spotless. Naturally we took a drink in their honor and debated how this could be. After an hour or so, one of the crew got hungry so he volunteered to make a KFC run (it was only a ¼ mile away so it was more of a KFC small jog) and upon his return in a half hour or so, we devoured the fowl he brought back.
By this time, the rest of the lime arrived and after another few rounds of drinks we depleted our stocks and decided that we might as well go inside. The stagger down the road didn’t take us too long but the closer we got to the venue, the more disturbing the scene became. There was a line of people wrapping around the fete and disappearing at some entrance way off around a corner and out of sight. MERDE! At least we were all still solidly under the influence so maybe the wait would not seem too long….sigh…we joined the back of the line and trudged slowly forward. After about 10 minutes, some of the other members of the crew decided to check out another entrance we could see in order to try to mamaguy all of us in. Almost immediately they returned saying that the line we were in was in fact the VIP line and the entrance with no one in line was general admission. What de jail is dis? We all moved to the entrance in question and sure enough we passed through security and was ushered in in two two’s. Hmm, I thought, hard luck for those VIP people in the muddy line. We immediately headed straight for the bar, bought our chits (STEUPS), resumed consumption of alcohol, and looked around for the best area to serve as our base of operations for the night.
As I said before, the fete was huge and even though it was not yet midnight the venue was filling quickly. The centerpiece of the fete was the clamshell stage which was set up facing the middle of the field. This stage is truly one of, if not the best on the island so we knew that with the night’s scheduled performers we would be in for a treat not only aurally but visually as well. I decided to make an immediate lap around the fete because when filled, this fete will not be navigated easily especially if I maintain my current level of alcohol consumption. A leisurely circle around the party confirmed what I had been seeing while liming outside: the beauty and sheer quantity of the ladies present in the fete was astounding and I did my best to capture as many of these visions of loveliness as possible. Not long after my return to the lime’s base the live performers started up and quickly had the crowd mesmerized and obsessed with what was taking place onstage.
Three of the heaviest “T’s” you could ever want to see were on stage performing their big tune for 2009, Obsessive Winers. Picture this my peeps, Destra Garcia was up first and she, being the youngest of the T’s, gave a high-energy, low-wining demonstration and then handed the baton off to Allison Hinds who put on display a kind of slow Falumawine. After that, all that was left was for Denise “Tractor License” Belfon to display her considerable gyratory talents after which all three did a synchronized wine that made men’s hearts race and knees wobble. It was during this performance that I realized the limitations of my camera as the zoom was woefully inadequate. The anti-shake was working like a boss (see previous heart and knee comment) but the zoom peeps, the zoom let me down. I needed to capture every detail of their waist motions and I was unable to do them full justice. I made a vow to correct this for next year’s festivities and sealed it with a drink (of course).
After this display, we eagerly awaited Machel Montano’s arrival in the clamshell. I had heard that he was a little off in 2009 and his shows were not as mind blasting as in previous years but I knew this was Bacchanal Wednesday and if there was one show in which he would go all out, this was it. This was the performance that would set the pace for the upcoming carnival weekend and I was sure he would not disappoint. Although it was close to 5:00 am when he finally took the stage, true to form he started off with a bang. A parachuter swirled overhead, powerful lights transformed the stage into a cacophony of color while blasts of fog shot down into the crowd from overhead. WOW! Confetti filled the air and when Machel appeared, he didn’t just take the stage, he took it like it owed him money! He caroused the length and breath of the stage singing, dancing, jumping, wining, and whipping the crowd into such a frenzy that I found myself wondering how long could he keep it up? I mean, even Mr. HD himself has limits. This question was soon answered when after around 30 minutes he started the rave.
OOOOKKKK.
To be clear, I love the song “What is Love” (with accompanying head bob) popularized by the Saturday Night Live sketch but there is a time and place for everything. While I appreciate Machel trying new things and bringing new flavors to his music, it was clear that much of the crowd was unresponsive to the tune. The switch from high energy soca to this caught a lot of folks by surprise, including me. Now I don’t mind the song being used as a transition but after 15 minutes of head-bobbing, I had had enough and decided to leave. It took me another 15 minutes to get to my car and I could still hear “What is love” being played as I drove away. While Machel’s performance was as hot and dynamic as ever to start, the middle bogged down considerably which corroborated what I had been hearing so far this year. I had also heard about his marathon “Antz”closing set and I am not too sorry I missed it.
On the whole, Bacchanal Wednesday was a fine fete. True it was very large and somewhat troublesome to get to (and leave as I heard from my crew that stayed until the end of the fete) but the people that were there were there to party and have a good time and everyone I saw was certainly doing that. The bar was overpriced (as we have come to expect), the chit system archaic but, despite my disappointment with Machel, the entertainment was excellent. The stage was top notch and it definitely contributed in a major way to the prime-time production feel that was prevalent throughout the night.
Enjoy the pics, Break Biche is next……..
Kermit out.
I played mas with Island people this year and couldnt keep my eyes off this Bajan guy pictured on the left.
Hope you can help :)
Hey saucy! I kept bumpin into this security guard while playin wit Evolution...but I lost him lol :(...find he for me nuh? :)
Dear Saucy Trini:
Thank you for all your helpful information. This year I played mas with my boyfriend in IP's
Midnight Bloom and I guess b/c we had matching costumes, masqueraders would approach us and ask to take our picture. I am trying to get in contact with 2 ladies, who played in IP's Rays of Light (yellow costume) that took our picture.
Picture 1
On Carnival Tuesday, this lady saw that my boyfriend and I had matching black costumes and asked to take a picture of us. If anyone knows her, could you please let her know about this post. I would like it if she could send me the pictures she took
of us and the ones of me and her.
Picture 2
This lady approached us early Carnival Tuesday before we hit the road. She told me she was from Jersey and I told her I was from NYC. I also took a picture with her that I would like to send her as well.
Congratulations on your web page, its the best. I decided to play with Pulse 8 after a contentious DKrewe 08. I visited the mas camp, and decided on Flamin Sambuca because the costume matched my sneakers. I am of the older genre and put comfort before anything else. On collection day within thirty minutes, I paid and collected four costumes. I was impressed with the warmth and efficiency of the staff.
The costumes looked like the prototype, did not check the amount of feathers but the costumes were impressive. I know it is a choice of wearing whatever on Monday, but $80.00 for a t-shirt was too much, considering the price of the costumes. On the road, both days we had to look for the band because we were late, but when we did find the band, we had a great time. Drinks flowed literally like water, nothing ran out.
The bar staff should be given a bonus. The lunch on both days was delicious and plentiful, so were the snacks. Good choice of the doubles van. On the occasion that I used the wee-wee van, it was always clean and well stocked. Security reminded me of lock down, they were vigilant.
Dear Island People Mas,
I am writing this email to let you know about my carnival experience with hopes that no other masquerader will have to endure what I just endured for the grand cost of over $3000 TT.
As an overseas masquerader that has heard of the drama associated with carnival, my friends and I decided that we wanted to play in a REPUTABLE band, because we work too hard to be throwing away our money.
We chose Island People because they were assuring us GREAT SECURITY, HELPFUL STAFF and some really PRETTY COSTUMES. Basically, we were getting our money’s worth.
I should have known there would be drama from the get-go. Registration was a joke. As we are not in Trinidad, we asked someone to go to the mas camp and register three of us for Rays of Light. During the day, current went out and registration continued. When current returned, the administration for Island People realized that they had over-registered certain sections. Rather than asking the masqueraders what sections they would like to be switched into they arbitrarily put people in different sections. Catch the joke, they thought it was OK to split up our group putting, one person in Rays of Light, one person in Love and yours truly in Touch!
Did I mention that I am not a Trinidadian? This would mark my first time in Trinidad and my fist time playing mas in Trinidad. When we tried contacting your mas camp about the issue we were told that we could jump up together all we wanted; all we had to do was get in our sections before crossing the stage.
Another major issue with your camp was the lack of communication, for all the emails I sent to you, all I ever got was the automatic reply saying that “I will get a response within 48 hours.” If you do not intend on responding to people’s questions or concerns, don’t tell them you will. That only pisses them off. Why did I have to call the mas camp and get irate to finally get a receipt, several emails should have been sufficient.
Since, I’m on the communication tip, please inform/train your staff. I was growing really tired of calling the mas camp to ask questions, only to get “Well, I’m not too sure...” It seemed as if that was the only thing you trained your staff to say when people asked questions.
Your staff told us that we could do fast-track payments right up until costume collection. Why then do we call only to have no-one answer the phone? The voicemail says “the mas camp is open...” So if the mas camp is open, why is no-one answering the phone? Come to find out that the mas camp wasn’t actually open, you just forgot to change the voicemail. Suggestion: if are not going to be at the mas camp, forward the phone to a cell phone at the stadium so that someone can get in touch with staff to ask their questions. Oh wait, it seem you people don’t like being asked questions. Forget that!
Costume Collection
By the time costume collection came (Saturday before mas!), we were group four girls from Canada and the U.S., all playing in Rays of Light with the exception of yours truly, who chose to bypass the costume switching shenanigans and remain in Touch.
Fist let me say that the costume was beautiful! I loved the quality of the headpiece as well as the girl distributing my costume. She should have trained the other girls at the desk in the art of multitasking! Look into that next time.
Mind you, getting to the final stage of costume pick-up was not without issue. I fast-tracked; this means I don’t have to wait in line to pay. This also means that I should have a more seamless collection process. Psych!
Unfortunately, not all of us girls got a chance to do fast track (remember no one was answering the phone) so me being a true friend, waited with the others (to a certain point). Now, all the signs at the complex clearly state that if you have done fast-track you should proceed to the collection line and get your costume. So that is what I did. After waiting in the collection line for about 20 minutes, I showed the attendant my receipt. I was then informed that I needed to go to the cashiers and have them print me another receipt. Now I’m pissed, because I have to go into the line with all the other people that haven’t paid off their costume? She tells me I don’t have to wait in line “just go give this to the cashier and she will reprint it for you.”
Now I’m especially agitated at the girl working at the information desk, giving not one bit of information. If she had been doing her job instead of liming at her station with her friends, then fast track masqueraders would have known that the signs were not correct and we needed to take that additional step, before getting our costumes.
Another masquerader pointed out that she was pissed because there were heaps of people by-passing the line and just walking in and getting their costume, (While I am sure that kind of foolishness was going on for real), some of us were the brunt of un-necessary attitude. Why was I getting screw-face and steups from everyone in the line as I went to get my receipt re-printed? Even the security guard had the audacity to come and tell me that I couldn’t pass. I see with all those people, because if you had told people that the people by-passing them in line were fast-track masqueraders, the attitude might have been avoided. Better yet, if you had just taken my copy of the receipt, there would not have been a problem. What, my paper, from my printer wasn’t good enough for your standards?
Overall, my collection time was about 45 minutes (including the time to go re-print my receipt). I’ve learned that fast-track is the way to go. So after the fours hours of waiting for the other girls, I began thinking: Why are we picking up our costumes so late? It’s only 4 days before carnival. Shouldn’t we be focusing on alterations right now? Island People sold out of costumes within days of registration, so why did we have to wait until days before carnival to get our costumes?
Another problem at time of collection was people not getting their headpieces or their costumes at all. Why were the larger sized costumes for “Natural Mystic” not available at all? I don’t condone people getting irate and cussing out anybody...but if I come to collect my costume on the last day of collection and you tell me that my costume is not there AFTER waiting in line for hours...you better believe somebody is going to get told about themselves. Period.
To make matters worse, why were the goodie bags looking so hungry? Early in the week masqueraders mentioned that many things were yet to be delivered to the camp. We assumed that because we were collecting our costumes last that we would get the additional items that were missing from the beginning of the week. But no; our goodie bags were filled with COUPONS! Can you believe this, coupons? Not even a tube of sunscreen! We were expecting to get trial/sample sized items that would fit in our beautifully decorated bags! Because of this, we had to wear larger bags to hold the full sized sunscreen, etc. that we had brought to Trinidad.
Despite the whole costume mess, we left extra excited, big grins and all because our costumes were the bomb! They were beautiful and looked exactly like we expected. We had to make at-home alterations, because there was no way we were making it to the mas camp on Sunday; especially not after Insomnia. Once again, costume distribution should have been earlier. The only people that should be congesting the camp should have been the international masqueraders, who have little control over when they can pick up their costumes.
On the road
After our at-home make-up application, and our Monday outfits, we were ready and set for the road. Monday was amazing! The band left at 10:15 when they said to be there for 10:00. Great start to the day! The drinks flowed like water, and the people were amazing. One masquerader even took the time to give us carnival dos and don’ts to survive two days on the road.
After our day of getting on bad, we went home and got our rest, with preparations for our big day. In short, our Carnival Monday experience was wonderful! Good music, great drinks, amazing people (fellow masqueraders) and some wicked vibes. Unfortunately Carnival Tuesday wasn’t the same.
Once again we were leaving from the Jean Pierre complex. I loved my headpiece, but on Tuesday, I couldn’t help but notice that all costumes were not created equally. My girlfriend’s headpiece had one flimsy piece of elastic on the back and to make matters worse, it was too big. When we tried to tie the two ends together, it broke. She was almost in tears. To come all that way and spend all that money to play mas, only to have your headpiece break was traumatic. When we tried finding someone to help with last minute alterations; no one to be found. Luckily, we had some safety pins and worked some magic to hold it up for a while.
And if the phone conversations weren’t bad enough, when we asked a “marshal” on the road what was going on with the sections, we were told “I don’t really know, you will have to ask a marshal.” Please imagine the dumbfounded looks on our faces, because this girl was wearing a shirt that said “MARSHAL” on the back. These shirts must be the newest trend in street wear – because we incorrectly assumed she could answer some sort of questions.
For the rest of the day I will use bullets because the issues are just too much to note otherwise:
- We were never in sections. To tell you the truth, I don’t know how many stages we crossed because I only remember crossing the first one. If we have a planned route, why must the marshals wait until we are at the foot of the stage to try and move us into sections? This should have been organized way better. No wonder everyone says that IP is always a mess crossing the stage. The jewelery we received in our accessory pack was great but after the rains we noticed that some metal pieces of jewelery were turning people’s skin black! In the future, you should think about skin allergies especially when providing key pieces such as the necklaces and arm pieces.
- Cold, tasteless food on the GO. What happen to lunch breaks? And was I really supposed to enjoy the “tuff rice” pelau you tried feeding us? And can someone please explain why ALL the food trucks were at the back? Food trucks should have been dispersed throughout the band. Luckily, they had aloo and fruit to hold me over for the majority of the day Running out of non-alcoholic drink options. Not a good look especially for those of us that are actively trying not to get alcohol poisoning on the road. No water in wee-wee truck since noon! That’s nasty! Luckily, I walked with my sanitizer!
- Poor security – they had no control over stormers whatsoever, and why were they more interested in bubbling on the masqueraders than protecting their backsides? Why did I get burned by a stormer’s cigarette and why did security stand back and watch as a vagrant made his way through the band trying to catch wine on everybody.
- It was clear who was winning road march; and it was not Machel! Although the song grew on me throughout the day, I was really tired of crossing the stage like “wild ants”. I don’t care if Machel is part of IP. Unless he pays his money, puts on a costume and jumps up with the rest of us then his needs should not supersede those of the paying masquerader’s. The flow of the mas was not very good. We had periods on the route where we had to wait in the same spot for more than half and hour and then we had to literally run after the trucks after leaving the Savannah.
- After another stop in the road for over 30 minutes on some residential street in St. James we heard the DJs bidding us goodnight! Goodnight? Where the hell were we? We expected that we would end in the same place that we started. I don’t know where St James is! Why would you leave people in the middle of nowhere knowing that there are newcomers to Trinidad in your band?….you’re going to leave them in the middle of nowhere given the state of crime in Trinidad? Luckily, one of my girlfriends is persistent and doesn’t take no for an answer and managed to get us a ride back to the stadium on the medic truck…so we could meet up with our ride!
NO AFTERPARTY!!! We spend $650-$700 CDN on costumes and no afterparty? Since we barely got any goodies, and it seems like you cut corners on staff, where did all the money go?
SUGGESTIONS
Care a little about what your masqueraders say, at the very least, please pretend to care!
Create a map of the planned route so that family members and friends can see us on the road in all our glory; and please try your best to stick to that route.
Get more people to deal with payment at time of collection – how are 5 cashiers going to deal with the hundreds of people that have to either pay or print receipts. Simple mathematics; it can’t work!
Pick somewhere else to distribute costumes. The bottleneck at the complex was frustrating and inefficient.
Have some form of “informed” admin working Monday and Tuesday to help organize masqueraders and answer their questions
Organize! Organize! Please try and look like the mas process was a year in the making and not a month in the making.Fool me once, shame on you – fool me twice, shame on me! Island People will not be getting our hard earned money nor our endorsement in the future. We know that there are glitches with every band but IP’s oversights were not glitches; they were seriously playing with the safety of their masqueraders, and that is unacceptable.
With that, we say so long and good bye Island People and for the sake of future masqueraders, we really hope you get yourselves together.
Dear Tribe,
Just wanted to give you my review of Tribe 2009...all sent with good intentions.
1) I thought the band was going to be downsized this year? It certainly didn't feel like it; and at times felt very much AKA Poison..very scary indeed. To spend that kind of money and be claustrophobic at times is really something to think about.
2) Section line-up - Pheasant was a huge disappointment, and still lead the band? The color and execution was just blah...and so not fair to the several other spectacular sections that followed. I am well aware of the Max-factor but still??? Similar mind-set on Blue Tanger; although it looked better than I expected; it was far superseded by sections that followed. Brazilian Macaw deserved to be at least where it was, also Caged Canary; but Spangled Cotinga, the section which supposedly sold out b4 the band launched placed at #7?? I know it was a huge section, and couldn't lead the band, but in all fairness, it deserved to be in the top 3, if not top 5. Hummingbird up front was also not justifiable. Kiskadee also made sense in the top 5. Section line-up is a huge deal with the majority of your die-hard masqueraders; the same ones that are waiting on line for hours; or sitting at their computer terminals overseas, at point zero. It seems only fair that the hottest sections/first to sell out, should be placed accordingly.
3) Lunch stop - good food and service, however the bathrooms were a huge disappointment over last year. First of all, the facilities weren't enough for the crowd, and the lines were way too long. Also, what happened to the spray sunblock, wet wipes and spray deodorant, etc from last year?? I was actually shocked to see roll on deodorants on a few tables..who would dare to use that??? Also, the lunch stop seemed a bit too long both days. On a bright note, the timing of lunch on Monday and Tuesday, was a lot better than last year.
4) Overall, the food and beverage service on both days was outstanding. Drinks, snacks later in the day, pizza, sandwiches, etc, were on point. I was especially impressed by shark and bake being served after 7 p.m. on Tuesday; that was indeed awesome.
5) Security - overall, very good..felt very safe most of the time; which is a huge priority with everyone; especially lately; with the obvious state of the country.
6) The costumes overall this year were spectacular; best year that I remember, especially with the fantabulous front-lines.
7) Tribe still stands out as the leader among the band choices. I look forward to being a part of the Asian theme for C2K10, and I am confident that based on your attention to customer service and concerns; that Tribe will come even better next time around.
I did not play mas this year so I had a lot of time to move around and observe various bands. Got tons of pictures and video. Anyway I just thought I'd share my assessment with you:
TRIBE
-Visited this band on Ariapita avenue on Monday and at their restpot on Tuesday and rejoined the band again on Ariapita Avenue later on.
Very organized in all aspects. Everything from A-Z was well planned out and executed.
-The only thing I could fault would be the restspot which is evidently too small for that size of band.
-Kudos for the last lap at Jenny's car park.
-Tribe should be commended. They continue to set a very high standard and once they keep it up they will undoubtedly be a very hard act to follow. Not impossible b ut hard.
ELEMENTS
-Visited on Tuesday at their restspot.
-Very small. Had about 300-400 masqueraders maximum.
-Their masqueraders consisted of a lot of socially well known people and everyone seemed to be having a great time. The general mood of everyone was very upbeat and the persons who I spoke to all said they were having a fantastic time, rain and all.
-1 bar truck, well designed and two music trucks. This worked well for them in that it compressed their numbers so at first glance it did not look so sparse.
-1 on the road grill truck
-1 mobile toilet truck, with 5 toilets.
-Did not observe an ambulance or airconditioned rest truck.
-Rest spot and pampering center was the carpark opposite the Canadian embassy near to Trotters. Well laid out. Small, but worked well for their limited numbers.
SPICE
-Visited Monday and Tuesday.
-Also very small. Had about 400 -500 masqueraders maximum.
-Paprika and Sea Salt seemed to have had the best turnout.
-Very diverse crowd but for some reason people did not seem energized and enthusiastic.
-The persons I spoke to said they were having a good time and the persons I knew that played with the band told me today that it was great.
-3 music trucks and 3 bar trucks.
-However, the decision to use 3 music trucks with those numbers was a very bad one as it spread the small numbers and made the band look very sparse. The result was that the band looked empty on Monday and very sparse on Tuesday. This might explain why some people were saying that Elements was small but had more people than Spice.
-Extraction team was good.
-Rope and other security could have been better.
- Ambulance and aircondition bus were present.
-Bar design and signage was very poor. To reach a drink comfortably you had to be nearly 6 feet tall and I am not exaggerating.
-Rest spot was okay. The band has the best restspot but the potential was not capitalized on. There were no frills just basic tents and a few tables and chairs.
-Food was good on Tuesday. However, although there were several advertised selections - barbeque, creole etc, there was only one actual choice on Tuesday.
KAOTIC
-Checked this band on Monday at Cipriani Boulevard
-Only saw a handful of masqueraders and I literally mean a handful.
EVOLUTION
-Visited this band on Tuesday
-Good turnout
-Bar trucks well designed.
-Band seems organisedI also visited RONNIE & CARO, TRINI REVELLERS and a few others but did not catch up with IP.
2010 will indeed be very interesting as many of the new bands would have definitely absorbed huge losses.
Based on what I observed from the turnout and what I know of the cost structure, Elements and Kaotic will have to absorb losses somewhere between $500k and 1M and Spice, between 1M and 1.5M. With those losses and a very bleak economic outlook for 2010 it will be interesting to see who survives into 2010 and for that matter beyond.
"BIG STAGE: Workmen make last minute preparations on the new big stage at the Queen's Park Savannah. For the last two years, masqueraders have been playing mas on the road, but this year a new big stage was constructed at the Queen's Park Savannah.Click HERE.
DOCUMENTATION
Airline Tickets
Passport
Copies of passport and Identification cards
Drivers Permit
Copies of Hotel Confirmation/Bookings
Copies of Emails pertaining to accommodation/car reservations
Copies of all receipts for fete tickets purchased online
Costume Receipt
Letter of costume transfer (if buying a resold costume) as well as copies of seller's ID card
A list of all items packed
Photo evidence of your luggage and contents in case it is lost by the airline
ON THE PLANE
Travel pillow
Flip flops (practical, fancy)
I Pod
Duct tape (for when they buss yuh overstuffed suitcase)
Ziploc Bags
Ear Plugs
SUN PROTECTION
Sun block with high SPF
Aloe Vera Gel (cools sunburns)
SPF Chap Stick/ lip-gloss
Sun glasses
At least 1 hat
Foot cream (something that tingles)
GROOMING
Shaving Cream
Razors
Hair Remover/Depilatory
Deodorant
Eye drops
Contact lenses
Contact lens solution
Contact lens case
Re- wetting Drops
Lotion
Toothbrush/paste
Mouthwash
Dental Floss
Feminine wipes
Wet Wipes
Breath mints!
Chewing Gum
Double Sided Tape
Bra Inserts
Stick on Bra
Nipple Covers
Tide to Go Stain Remover Pen
MEDICATION
Pepto bismol
Tums
Imodium AD
Prescription Medication
Birth Control
Condoms
Elastoplast
Mini First Aid Kit
Blister Lotion
Chafing Powder
Gel Insoles
Insect repellent
Milk of Magnesia
Hand Sanitizer
FOR DE COSTUME
Glue Gun
Glue Sticks
Spray Paint
Bling Cup
Waterproof Powder for Feathers
Travel sized sewing kit
Extra pins and Velcro tape for outfit and costume adjustment.
Comfortable Shoes, Sneakers or Boots for the playing mas
Gel Insoles
Mas Tights
Glitter
MAKEUP NEEDS
Spirit Gum
Face Jewels
False Eyelashes
Makeup
Concealer
Moisturizer
Bronzer
Glitter Lotion
Makeup Remover
Blotting Sheets
Q tips
Vaseline
BODY/HAIR CARE
Pumice stone
Exfoliating body gloves
Nail polish /remover
Curling iron
Blow dryer
Flat iron
Comb
Brush
Hair clips/bows
Hair Pieces/Extensions
Braid and Weave Spray
Hair Scarf
Shower cap
Anti Frizz Hair Serum
Shampoo and Conditioner
Inflatable Foot Spa (the Epsom salts you can get in Trinidad!)
GADGETS AND COMMUNICATION
Camera/camera bag
Waterproof Camera
Disposable Camera
USB cables
USB Drives
Video Camera
Portable DVD Player
Laptop
Cell phone for conversion if applicable
Chargers and/or batteries for all your electronics
Voltage Converter
Power Cords for all electrical implements
List of all friends’ contact info
A small telephone book with a copy of all the numbers from your cell phone.
DOH FORGET
J’ouvert shoes and outfit
Monday Wear
Bandanna
Whistle
Handbags
Money Pouch
Watch (waterproof)
Costume Jewelry
Extra backs for earrings
Water shoes, if you plan to be walking/swimming where there is coral or sharp rocks.
Bathing suits
Towels for the beach
Socks
LOTS of Underwear
A Bottle of Johnnie Walker - black, blue, red, green doh matter, come one come all
Rum Flask
Key Chain Bottle Opener
Goodies for friends and family
The sale of Carnival costumes for the 2009 Carnival season has been slow, according to Culture Minister Marlene Mc Donald. She was speaking during yesterday's post-Cabinet news briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair.
"I have been to 20 mas camps and I could report directly," she said.
"I could tell you that with respect to the large bands some sections have been sold out. Others, they are very optimistic because there are still two more salaries," you have January and February salaries to go.
"But I get a sense that where they are now with respect to sales, most of them were in this situation last year, in terms of the quantum of sales. The medium bands have been doing relatively alright and so to, the small bands.
"Generally I can tell you that they have all said it's a bit slow but they are optimistic that it will catch up." There has been a slowdown in consumer spending in all spheres as citizens react to the global economic crisis.
A unique sale is on at the Jazz and Calypso Lounge, corner Cipero and Robertson Streets, San Fernando: buy two elaborate Carnival costumes and get one free. .........
An almost similar sale is taking place at veteran bandleader Owen Hinds's mas camp at nearby Rushworth Street. Titled Babylon, the band, with 19 sections, has costumes priced at $600 and $700. Curtis Hinds said the offer was buy three and get the fourth free.
There are also major discounts at both mas camps, and sales were reported to be "doing quite well". Dawad Phillip, one of the leaders of Paradiso, described the sale as a "session buster" to keep masqueraders in San Fernando.
"We are answering the call of those who cannot afford to play mas this year," he said, adding that costumes will be sold at a fraction of their cost for the first time anywhere in Trinidad.
