Kaotic Review.

As 2009 was becoming the year of expensiveness i.e. flight, Accommodation and the current Exchange rates my people this year felt it was a good idea to cut back on how much we pay for our costumes, initially we were going to play with SPICE but then later decided to go with KAOTIC price and recommendations factored into this………. After looking over the costumes and initially deciding to go with either Emerald Viper or Hot Oil we decided Hot Oil was the stronger choice thank god for that as we later learned Emerald Viper was removed.

Booking the costumes was a breeze and paid via Western Union! I had almost weekly calls and updates from the section leader Adrian Howell which was nice and was constantly letting us know what events and promotions were going on. Now I cant grumble too mush as my costume was practically free but I had approx 15 people booked into the section too who paid their full money and also one girl who played in Copia………….

Upon arrival in Trinidad on 10th Feb we decided we would go to the camp and settle up our balances the next day, upon arrival at the Mas Camp we were greeted by these two bubbly bachanalists I think their names were Zitzy and Ferlone two great assets and very attentive they processed our balances offered us drinks and entertained us! I then put across the question in hand “when do we collect our costumes”? “Err” responded one of the girls I think the management will be putting this out to the members on Monday 16th, check the news papers she also stated.

So Monday came I browsed the papers and saw nothing so I rang the camp and they responded “nothing has been set in stone and god willing we will call you as soon as we have the info” so Wed 18th came and I had a call from the camp “hi just to let you know you can collect your costumes from 12 noon tomorrow Thurs 19th at the Mas Camp” great I responded see you there! This was cool with me as it still gave me enough time to make amendments to the costumes and add some bling!.

Thursday came and just before 12 noon I had a call from the camp “hi im sorry we are just letting you know that the costumes will not be ready today and will be ready for collection on Friday at the same time!” by this time I was becoming a little irate and hot headed but I still managed to empathise with the lady on the phone and went along with it. So I head to the camp on Friday only to be told once again costumes are not ready! My head was really starting to steam by now, I asked where are the costumes and what is going on? The lady replied they are still at the production manager’s workshop (RICARDO GOMEZ) and that they would deliver the females to us in a few hours! But the males still have no Board Shorts and are incomplete until they receive them, I was like ok fine as long as I get the ladies today so I can start working on them I can work with that!

The time came when the costumes should have been delivered and were not by this time I was fuming, I rang the section leader and insisted he get the costumes to me ASAP he stated that they are ready but are at the production house I asked him if I could get the number for Ricardo and collect them from there myself? So he gave me his number!

My first attempt at calling this Ricardo I got his voicemail and left a message for him to call me back, 10 minutes later I received a call back from him, “hi Paul this is Ricardo” hi I responded “I would just like to let you know your costumes are looking stunning and are of high quality, they are ready and we promise we will deliver all of them to you by tomorrow noon” I was not happy with this but just went with it again I was not feeling Ricardo’s attitude as it seemed really anal retentive, he passed me over to his assistant to take my address……………… just before noon on Sat I received a call from his assistant telling me the costumes will be ready to collect from the camp at 3pm I was like hang on im sure you guys are meant to be delivering them here by noon she replied “oh you did want them delivered?” I was like I had a conversation with yourself and Ricardo to that effect yesterday she responds “oh did you? I don’t remember, I don’t know” , I was like you know what I aint got time for this tell me where the costumes are now and I will collect them, she tells me the address and I had to laugh as it was on Ana St one street away from the camp.

Me and my people jumped in the car and were at the house within 30 mins, I walk up the stairs and knock on the door a lady I think the assistant opened the door, my eyes could not stop wondering around the place whilst I put across who I was and was here to collect the costumes! My god I thought I could see whole sections still being produced from scratch and I could also see my friends section Copia in an incomplete state. I was handed only the girls costumes and I started to first examine the headdresses and I was in shock they looked nothing like the prototype and besides that were a total different yellow, I then opened the boxes to examine the belts and bras etc my word yet more changes there were things missing all over the place my blood was boiling by now! Especially as I still don’t have the male costumes and there was a lot of them to collect. I just picked up the boxes and headed over to the Mas Camp to sort this mess out!

Slightly off topic but relevant to this as you guys know I make Mas in the UK and prior to collecting my costumes I was in Jimmy Aboud in town now I fast bad I was purchasing the beads to add to the girls belts for Hot Oil and was told by the girl in the shop she only had these ones but they were put aside for someone I responded I only need 5yds the box was full of cards of the beads and also other braids used on Hot Oil I asked if they were for the Hot Oil Section and she responded yes that Ricardo was coming to collect them! Picture this on Thurs she telling me this and this left problem less than a week for him to produce all them costumes…………….!

Amway back to the mas camp we went not only to fins out what has happened to the costumes but where the males are still!, when we arrived inside I was greeted by a mature guy I cant remember his name but I know he is a director or something of Kaotic I pulled out the costumes and the first thing he said “is that Hot Oil?” yes I laughed that said it all for me if he could not make sense of it luckily the costumes were still on display and I could compare the belts, they were missing a bead trim on the top and bottom edge and also stones, the backing they used were not sewn but simply 1” elastic yes you read right the belts we based on elastic, not only that the back part of the belt had Velcro attached and the simply left the hook side on it un attached for the front, the fronts of the belts were all the same size which meant you had to cut them down yourself and stick the other Velcro on! Reminds me of the year my friends played with Legacy!

Cutting a whole set of drama out as I vowed never to go there again we finally got a $2000tt refund which I spent half of on beads, trimmings, feathers etc to make the costumes workable, and so left with the costumes Sunday we finally got our men’s costumes which were pretty much to design!

Re my friends Copia costume she finally got it on Carnival Sat and it was a mess I mean literally she ended up with the one off the mannequin as the one she received looked nothing and I mean nothing like the prototype! She also got a $900tt refund.

I learned and witnessed a lot of issues and badness on the production side of Kaotic
With the exception of Viva La Vida, Aqua Abyss and Horizon Produced privately and were distributed on time, Hot Oil, Beau Jalais, Romance, Extreme Fury, Déjà vu, Copia and Heavenly Passions which were all produced by Ricardo Gomez and to be honest looked a hot mess! The quality was ridiculous, not one section reflected the prototypes I even saw headdresses made out of Card board that did not stand up to the rain. As you all know 2 sections didn’t make it into production but the black section Mystical Freedom was still billed to be on de road but was pulled last minute due to it not being produced I witnessed the section leader for that section almost in tears!! I was also told that Ricardo Gomez was a weak link from the band Evolution and was responsible for similar issues last year concerning costume production! I would ah drop him like hot coal in fact never of risked taking him on.

The on de road experience was a real family vibe and full of people not frightened to have a good time or buss ah sweat and although we had so many issues I had a great time on the road and I big up Adrian Howell for treating us well and making sure we were looked after! If they get rid of Ricardo and sort out the production issues they will be a cool band and I will defo play with them again………….

Harts Review

I hate to say it but my first carnival experince was a bit of a disappointment.

Hubby and I signed up with Harts, mainly because he played with them in 2007 and a lot of our friends were playing with them. I ordered our costumes online picking the Vayu section mainly because it had funky matching headpieces for both boys and girls. The online system was really good and I have to admit I was suprised to find that they had our sizes and details correct when I got over here in December.

The system for picking up the costumes wasnt really that straightforward and rushing out in my lunch break wasnt the best move as when i finally got home and tried everything on I found out that several bits were missing and the only bit that fitted me were the arm and leg cuffs! Thinking I must have lost a huge amount of weight in the last few months, I measured myself again... nope, still the same size.. WTF? I went back the next day to try and get it sorted and was told that only the belt could be adjusted and I should have checked everything when i picked it up, I paid $3200 for this, it all got too much for me and I simply burst into tears at the mas camp. Thank you so much to the ladies who helped me out, almost bullying the guys at the desk until they found the missing parts of my costume for me. Still the next 3 days were spent buying a white bikini that fitted me and sewing the bits of the costume onto that. Luckily when hubby turned up his
costume fitted but even he got handy with the needle and thread sewing soft felt around his neckpiece to make sure he didnt get decapitated by the razor-wire like trim.

On a high after Jouvert, we then stood still, ok, so we did move a bit, really slowly, taking over an hour to get along Tragerete on Monday morning. With the band getting stormed by jouvert leftovers still covered in mud and a really rubbish atmosphere. We were there for a 2 hours, then we walked home, bored.

Starting early on Tuesday I got my makeup done down in Belmont and we planned to join the band as the went up Charlotte st to the savannah, little did we know that they did a short-cut up Tragerete and had already passed the savannah by 7.30! We missed it. We joined the fellow lost people looking for their band for the next hour. When we caught up with them on Arapita the band was simply a compressed mash up of teenagers, extremely drunk tourists and stormers. The atmosphere was horrible with lots of pushing and shoving, shouted insults, unwanted groping, and no security to be seen. This didnt feel like the 'band that plays mas for fun' to us. We finally gave up when our drinks truck refused to serve hubby because 'he a white boy', oh come on... over half the band are white boys, and they had been hapily serving us for the previous couple of hours? All this and the rain to top it off meant that we again left early. As we travelled home my funky headpiece
fell apart. $3200 well spent, NOT.

To all the other vagrants who had lost their bands and danced along having a good time with us, thank you, you made our day.
To Harts, we will not be playing with you again.

Wee International Review

I Played with wee international and i must say i was very impressed with the band. They numbered probably 800+ masqueraders who knew how to have a good time.

Well done Wee International!!!

See you in 2k10

Pulse 8 Review

Carnival Tuesday with Pulse 8

by

Voluptuous Masquerader

Costume – although my section was not initially my first choice, I think Pulse 8’s production team did an excellent job with my costume. Since my bra is a hard to fit size, I had a custom made tankini with a bra built right into it. I must say I was quite pleased with the fit and comfort of my tankini, which in past years has proven to be a problem for me. And if the girls are not comfortable on the road, it can kill a carnival experience for a top heavy woman. I was very comfortable on the road and my girls stayed in place and did not knock me out as jumped up. With the exception of one diamante falling off my bra, I found the costume to be well constructed and stayed intact all day.

( My bra )

Food and Drinks – Due to a stomach bug which found me quite shaky and unable to hold down any food on Monday, I did not partake of the food on the road on Tuesday. My husband, not one to let food go to waste, was on the scene to take up my slack. There were sandwiches, fruits, and doubles available for breakfast on Tuesday. Throughout the course of the day, I saw an array of foods being served on trays by young men and women. From what appeared to be Chinese chicken wings, curried chicken breast chunks, geera meat (was not sure if it was pork or chicken), and all manner of preserves from red peppered mango to salt prunes, and tamarind balls, there seemed to be quite an assortment, which were eagerly devoured by the people in my crew. Lunch was served kind of late in the day after we crossed the stage in the savannah, but no one appeared to be starving since the snacks has been plentiful. The band took a rest in Siegert Square, which was nice and clean. There were tents, tables, and chairs set upm in addition to the regular park benches. Although there were not enough to accomodate the entire band, I thought this was a nice touch. There was also a “sober station” for those who needed to take a pause from the alcohol frenzy. The sober station provided, water, soft drinks, fruit juices, and maltas. There was also a make up refreshing station complete with lightening and mirrors. The food was served from tents and there was a choice of BBQ, Creole, Chinese, and Vegetarian. My husband took both of our chits to get in line, while my friend and I found a nice shady spot. Hubby returned promptly, so there was no long wait in lines. He had decided on BBQ, and deemed the Chicken, rice, lentil, salad, and macaroni pie washed down with a Malta to be quite tasty and satisfying.

(Band resting in Seigert Square)

From a tea totallers perspective, I can attest that the bar was very good. It was never overly crowned, except for when they announced the drink trucks would leave us at the savannah so we could cross the stage. At this time, everyone made a mad rush to the trucks to get their last bottle of water, drink of rum, etc before crossing the stage. Outside of this occasion, the drinks truck was very accessible with no pushing and shoving to wet your whistle. Being that I was operating on a sick stomach, I only partook of water and ginger ale on the road. Also, throughout the day as the cutters and snacks were being served, there were also what appeared to be “shots” being offered on trays as well. I saw what looked like jello shots, to what I know where tequila shots, because my friends were happily sucking those down every time a tray passed their way. LOL. In addition to the drinks trucks, there was a cart which was being pushed by men between the first and second music trucks. From what I could observe, this was for the really hard drinkers. I saw a lot of coconut water being mixed with what looked like the hard stuff like Black Label.

( Drinks Truck - )

Music - There were 3 DJ Trucks which I think was a great number for a band of Pulse 8’s size. There was an estimated 1500-1800 Masqueraders in the band on Carnival Tuesday. The first Truck was DJ Switch, The second truck was Richard Simply Smooth, and I think there were several different DJ’s, whose names I cannot remember, bringing up the rear on the third truck. Each DJ had a slightly different style, and since this was a “roam whey ya want” band, a person could take their pick of what they wanted to hear. They had Oscar B on one of trucks to hype the crowd. I think he is a local DJ from Tobago. He kept the crowd hyped and entertained, especially his fascination with Chinese men. We had a “wine a Chinee Man” session where he encouraged women to jump out of the band onto the side walks and grab a chinee man to wine on. That was super fun. That poor lil Chinese man I backed back on could not have looked more shell shocked if Michelle Obama had come to take a wine on him. LOL. Right as we were crossing the stage, Oscar B spotted a young Chinese man in the crowd on the side who was pelting waist in a major way. They bought this young man up on the truck, nicknamed him “Chinee Machel” and let him put on a wining show of his very own, which not only got the masqueraders in a great mood full of laughs, but encouraged us to get on even badder that we already were.

(Dj Truck - )

Customer Service - Due to a little glitch with me arriving into Trinidad so late, at the beginning of the route, I was without s head piece, which I was told would be delivered to me first thing Tuesday morning. Now I have heard that Meg Cheekes, the owner of Pulse 8, is the raging control freak. Well let me say this… Big up to the raging control freaks, because her reportedly anal ways certainly paid off for the masqueraders who played in this band. My first contact with Ms. Cheekes came as I saw her walking through the band with the head piece from my section in her hand as if she was looking for someone. I walked up to her and asked was that head piece for me. Once I identified her, she apologized and told me she was hand delivering this head piece herself. That was a very nice touch. Throughout the course of the day, I saw this woman everywhere… from directing traffic with the vehicle management team, to yanking on a rope with the rope pullers, to serving on the drinks trucks, and buffin up security guys who were not as alert as she felt they needed to be. But this direct involvement by the boss lady apparently paid off, because from food distribution to security, everything ran quite smoothly.

( Meg Cheekes - )

Security – In a nutshell…. Excellent! I felt very safe. Security was very nice and polite to the masqueraders, but very no nonsense when it came to doing their jobs. There was on incident where a man who not a masquerader and was quite inebriated refused to leave the band. I think security must have had a two count rule. Twice, they asked him very politely to step outside of the rope. He proceeded to give trouble and a lot of smart talk. Without second thought, security quite nicely and quietly “tossed” him over the rope without disturbing the jammishness that was taking place amongst the masqueraders.

( Bouncers and Rope Pullers)

Additional Services - There was a well stocked ambulance to the back of the band in case anyone fell ill, and they also provided basic first aide for bumps and bruised that people got while on the road. One of the guys from my party got a scrape on his finger, and they cleaned it up and put a band aide on it and sent him on his way. There was also the “weak-knee” truck, which was an air conditioned limo bus that traveled with the band. That was a nice touch

Overall – I had a great time in Pulse 8. Even though I was kind of green around the gills on Monday and just barely plugged along, Tuesday was a stellar day for me in every sense of the word. The age range of the masqueraders was very diverse, and so were the winin styles. My eyes experienced everything from the down and dirty crotch in your face wine, to the more stoosh types giving very polite social wines, and everything in between. There was something for everyone in this band, and from the teenager to the grandma. If one is looking for good customer service, safety, and above all else a dam good time, then Pulse 8 should be a viable option when you do your carnival shopping for 2010. Pulse 8 gets 2 thumbs up!!

( General Pics of Masqueraders on the Road)

Trini Revellers - Rugeri Review

Hi Saucy,

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to write about our carnival experience. Mine was nothing but excellent! My experience began in March 2008 when I started religiously reading your blog every day. I also booked my flight at that time hoping to benefit from a lower airfare, but in the end I didn’t save that much – my luck. I also reserved my room at the Hyatt in March and I was not required to pay a deposit or in full. In the end I canceled at the Hyatt (without a penalty) and booked at the Hilton just a few weeks before Carnival, the rates were cheaper and the location better, in my opinion.

After reading your review of Rugeri Promotions launch, I contacted them and a couple months later registered in their Chutney section of Trini Revellers. As a reader of your blog it felt like everyone was playing in Tribe or IP. When I arrived at the Hilton, that was also confirmed, all the guests I spoke to were playing in Tribe! I was very worried. But I figured, my friend and I will make the best of it. In the end, the choice was best for me. Rugeri was excellent. The ‘girls’ needed special attention and so I shipped my bra to be sure they were housed properly. That worked out well and my top was ready when I arrived in Trinidad. When I picked up my costume, my belt need to be a bit bigger. And how fantastic, they were happy to adjust it and deliver it to my hotel. During the parade on Monday and Tuesday we were asked several times if we were having fun. And of course, the answer was yes! I’m confident that if we had an issue they would have done their best to rectify it. Great customer service and a huge part of my positive experience! People there are more bands than Tribe and IP! No, I didn’t have washrooms, a cooling zone or bus, but I survived. And at the risk of revealing my age, it was not something I had when I played mas when I was younger. More importantly, the drinks flowed all day on both days!

I didn’t want to be up at 5 am to do my make up on Carnival Tuesday so, again, thanks to you, I saw your post about custom make up by Melissa Deane and I chose this route. Sadly, we didn’t give ourselves enough time to really do a good job on the make up. Next year - I’m up at 5 am.

I also had a custom bag by Mimi. It looked great, but a few gems fell off and some of the braiding started to come off. I’m so glad that I only used the bag on Tuesday, because I’m not sure it would have survived both days.

I played Jouvert with Yellow Devils and that too was great. I didn’t think that I could consume alcohol that early in the morning, but when in Rome ... The washroom break was in an open lot. Need I say more?

As for fetes – we attended Tribe Thursday, Girl Power, Insomnia and Moka Explosion. All were great. If I had to pick a favourite of these 4, it would be hard. The only negative would be that it’s not worth getting VIP tickets for Insomnia. Also, KES were at 3 of the 4 fetes and their performance (and banter) was exactly the same each time. My luck, again.

As I write this I’m still recovering, but I’ll be back next year!

Mc Farlane Review

Hi Saucy.


I have enjoyed your blog for the past two years. Since most of the supporters of your website seem to be die-hard Tribe and Island People fans, I wanted to provide some feedback on my experience with Brian Mac Farlane's band. This was my first year playing with the band, and the comments I provide below reflect the experience of me and my friends. Obviously, others who played with his band might think differently.


(I) COSTUME DISTRIBUTION:
-Grade: D

-Comments: Absolutely horrific. This band has A LOT to learn in terms of logistics. The powers-that-be at Mac Farlane never publicly announced the distribution schedule. In fact, I found out about costume distribution via your blog!!! Once I arrived at the mas camp, it was utter chaos. Staff were assembling costumes as people arrived; NOTHING was pre-assembled. I got through the process in about 2 hours. However, I encountered people who had been waiting 4 or 5 hours and still did not have their costumes in hand. Fortunately, it wasn't raining heavily while I was at the mas camp. I feel sorry for those who were there while it was pouring, as one had to wait and collect costumes outside, with little or no shelter.

(II) CUSTOMER SERVICE:
-Grade: C-
-Comments: As a newcomer to the band, I was struck by the elitist/cliquish vibe when I visited the mas camp. The staff appeared unapologetic about the lack of order and organization, and I got an implicit message that you are "lucky" to be playing with their band.


I also encountered some staff who appeared to be on "costume patrol" at the start of Carnival Tuesday. This rubbed me the wrong way because I am an adult and can decide whether or not to omit or modify any part of the costume once I've paid meh money! Thus, I paid them no mind. :-)


(III) COST/VALUE:
-Grade: C
-Comments: Too expensive, and I did not feel like I got value for my hard-earned money. It is worth noting that the band is NOT all-inclusive. In my opinion, you are paying a "king's ransom"to be able to a) say that you have played with the Band of the Year and/or b) pursue an alternative to bikini mas.


(IV) COSTUMES:
-Grade: B-/C+


-Comments: Monday wear entailed two long pieces of fabric (in earth tones) which you could wear as you wish. That was wonderful, and people did some very creative and lovely things with their allotted fabric.


Re: Tuesday wear, I really have a problem registering with a section based solely on a sketch. Some of the actual costumes (including my own!) did NOT resemble the sketches. In truth, some of the costumes looked absolutely outstanding in real life, although many seemed very impractical to wear on the road. In general, one is definitely choosing appearance over function with Mac Farlane. Notably, masqueraders were NOT given written instructions on how to assemble their costume (particularly problematic for sections with very intricate costumes). Fortunately, my costume was quite comfortable, although it did nothing for me aesthetically. There were elements of my actual costume that I absolutely hated.


In spite of all the above, I think Mac Farlane presents some amazing costume options for men that they obviously wouldn't have with other bands.


(V) ON-THE-ROAD EXPERIENCE:
-Grade: B-/C+


-Comments: Unlike the Mac Farlane staff, I found the masqueraders to be relatively friendly and fun loving. It was absolutely refreshing to see such a diverse set of masqueraders (ages, ethnicities, orientations). I am a thirty-something masquerader with the energy of an 18 year old, and the pace on the road was MUCH SLOWER than I would've liked. Unfortunately, the vibe is not a "let loose" vibe. The revellers tended to be older than say, Tribe's or Island People's, although Mac Farlane definitely had some young masqueraders. The band also has a nice vibe for couples--I saw lots of them (both young and old) on the road.


As mentioned earlier, this is not an all-inclusive band. We only had "free" access to water, soft drinks, Heineken, Green Sands, and Fruta on the road. There were two DJ trucks, Laventille Rhythm Section, and one live band (Surface). I did not see a "wee wee truck" for the band.


In keeping with the theme of Africa, Tony Prescott (of Surface) wrote a song called "Out of Africa" especially for the band. He actually performed it live multiple times on the road on Monday. It is a fabulous song, and it was an exhilarating experience to hear that song play as we approached the judging points on Monday and Tuesday. Some sections, including my own, choreographed simple dance moves when they crossed the stage. That was AMAZING. It was also great to see and feel the fabulous reactions by spectators as the band chipped down the road. I sensed a real public appreciation for Mac Farlane's brand of mas.


Unfortunately, some spectators were a bit too zealous in their desire to partake of the Mac Farlane experience. Security left much to be desired, particularly as evening approached on Tuesday, when non-masqueraders started storming the band en route to the Savannah. Some security personnel did little or nothing when masqueraders sought their assistance to remove certain non-masqueraders from the band.


***CONCLUSIONS***
In sum, I am happy that I gave Mac Farlane a try. It was nice not having to worry about feathers or beads, for once. However, I have no intention of playing with the band next year. There were aspects of my experience that resonated--both positively and negatively--with me. Mac Farlane clearly fills a niche as an alternative to bikini mas. However, the band will need to address major deficiencies before it'll see me as a repeat customer in the future.

Island People Reviews

Today I will be sharing with you the reviews sent in by readers of the blog of the various bands they played with for carnival, starting with Island People. On that note you should also visit Afro Chic for her review on playing with Island People as well;

I am an avid reader of your blog, and I admire your tireless efforts in blogging about our Carnival. It is indeed the ‘greatest show on earth’. However, as a masquerader who has played with bands such as Poison, Legacy, TRIBE and Island People, I feel it is imperative to write about my 2009 experience. Your blog represents the truth, and what I have to say is as such.

I will not go into detail about my horrid registration process with Island People. I think that topic has been rehashed by other bloggers. But this year was my third time playing mas with them; indeed registration was as chaotic as the costume payment and collection, and it mirrored what happened on the road.

I live abroad; therefore, Friday afternoon was the only time I had in order to pay my balance, and to collect the costume. Friends and I arrived at the stadium at approximately 2:30pm, and to our horror, the line had already made a bend around the gate. There were at least 150- 200 people in line ahead of us to pay, and the so-called line adjacent to ours to collect costumes was just as long; however, in that line, people were all crowded around the collection desk. It was a free for all – who get to the counter first was served. Pure madness.

We purposed to be patient, and tried to make a small lime out of it, being friendly and chatting with people in the line behind us. By about 4:00 pm, IP staffers were handing out bottles of water, which was much appreciated. There was free (hot) Stag available, as well as pineapple chow and juice on sale (why wasn’t it vice versa? hmmm…). My friends and I arrived to the payment counter eventually...(let's just say it was dark outside after payment was made), where there were only 6 flustered cashiers, and at that point the situation grew worse. There was a couple at the back of the line, an East Indian girl in the Natural Mystic section, and an Afro Trini young man. They somehow got the security guard to allow them to skip about 20 persons to get ahead, including 2 young ladies near me who were exhausted from holding their babies, so as they were resting on the table, the said couple bravely jumped in front of the young mothers, stating they were holding up the line. Mind you, these 2 mothers were from Barbados I think they said, so their welcome to Trinidad was definitely soured. There were many other foreigners who witnessed this event, much to my shame as a Trinidadian. These 2 skippers really let me down. Worse, the security guard then made his way to the front of the line in order to allow the ‘skipping couple’ to go ahead and pay; that is when the ruction start! There was a young lady who was quite upset at this move, a frequent IP masquerader I am told, and I’m uncertain what happened next but the security guard grabbed this lady by her wrist, yanked her out of the line in order for the skippers to pay, and threatened to have her arrested because she was the most vocal against the skippers. It was a shameful event as IP staffers could not control the fracas and began a shouting match with the lady who was vocal. Meanwhile, the skippers quietly paid their money and glided outside with grins on their faces and receipts in hand.

Needless to say, my friends and I still went ahead to pay off our balance and then collect our costumes. As I said earlier, there wasn’t really a line per se…we left the stadium at around 7:00 pm, exhausted from the bacchanal that just occurred. IP also gave me the incorrect size, and I was told by a staff member to return on Sunday for an exchange.

I arrived on Sunday at 10:30 am, (we were told to come at 11:00) and again there was a long line of about 100 people. IP had not opened the gate at this point, and when they finally did, they were only allowing about 10-15 people who could squeeze to the front inside. I’d had enough at this point and was ready to sell my costume right there! After paying $3295 hard earned dollars for the costume, not to mention my plane ticket and hotel, this was totally unacceptable. I decided to go home, rest, and in the end I altered my costume by hand.

To my dismay, on the road, there were stormers upon stormers, especially around the Queen’s Park Savannah. Security was non existent for much of the day. There was a group of girls who were no more than 12 years old who all trampled me in order to chip near truck #3. I am quite petite, and instead of putting up a fight, I just decided to go home. This was my absolute worst experience playing mass. The food (all the way at the back of the band) was horrible…dog rice and cold soya chunks…Lucozade was finished by 10:00 am. My day on Tuesday just kept getting worse and worse. People have had negative things to say about the demographics of Legacy and TRIBE, but my experience with them in the past was certainly much more enjoyable; that’s where there are people with CLASS!!!

On a positive note, I honestly loved the beadwork on my costume, despite the fact I had to alter it myself in the hotel after a mad dash to Samaroos. I will not play with Island People ever again, and for those who choose to, I respect that decision, but I think people should DEMAND that the organizers address certain issues to ensure masqueraders’ safety and comfort- within their control. There will always be hiccups on the road, but Saucy this was definitely not a representation of “island people”, nor the “greatest show on earth”. I am not thinking of getting a refund of any sort (PLEASE!! that ain’t happening). I’m just a very patriotic Trinidadian who lives abroad, and I am ashamed that anyone, especially a foreigner, could experience this in the future. I guess this is my caveat emptor.

I hope that IP can make a greater effort by taking steps such as having costume collection a week earlier, and a designated day for foreign masqueraders. Also, they could hire more persons/cashiers to assist with payment, rather than having so little to handle such a huge crowd, which would obviously stress their staff members out. Try a different security firm. This guard was totally out of line (no pun intended). Finally, I know stormers will storm every band, but this year was totally insane as many times I had to fight for a position to chip in my section against persons who clearly wanted to storm as they please. That is not fair to the person forking out $3295!!!! It’s just not right!!!

Ashamed at IP.

2k9 was the worst carnival for me. I have been a founding member of IP mas b4 it was even IP mas ( from Poison days).

After spending over 3hrs in line when I went to collect my fiance's costume, I was physically assaulted by a SWAT Security guard in the cashiers room in full view of everyone present. THIS IS NOW A POLICE MATTER!!

When you are in section 2 how the f**K they expect you to walk all the way to the back of the band to get food. I still have our food chits from both days.

I played with wings this yr and I had to fight for space on the road as there was many stormers.

When my fiance and I spend almost $8000.00 together on our costumes the least we expect is good f**king service from start to finish.

IP when you advertise something and people pay for that. It is your right to provide all that was advertised, once we pay you our money a Contact is formed!!

Hi Saucy,

I had my first experience with playing with IP. They did not make a very good impression on me, however I had a good time regardless. I played with the section Rays of Light, so I had drama getting my costume in the first place, but when I got it and tried it on, it was perfect in every way. I loved it. I was just a little scared of the experience on Monday and Tuesday because of the horror stories I've heard about them. My friends and I were a bit tardy regarding Mas registration so we didn't get into Tribe who we have played with since their inception, so we decided to give IP a chance.

They got off to an early start, left on time both days which I was happy for. Breakfast, drinks and lunch were delivered on time and as promised. I was satisfied with most of it however, trying to get food along with 100 other ppl from a moving truck is pressure, I hated that experience. I eventually gave up on Monday and went to the snack truck and took a plate (with pies, chicken legs, sandwiches etc.) instead of the food, good thing I had a heavy breakfast. Tuesday was much better even though the rain was a bit annoying, I had no other problems foodwise.

Everything seemed ok to me with the exception of the lack in security and the number of stormers. I also did not know when I crossed the stage as wierd as it may seem. Everyone was all over the place, there was no real sectioning at all. This annoyed me because that is what I really look forward to every year. Also, there was no distinction regarding front and backliners, everyone was together....all the time...even on stage. They prompted masqueraders one or two times but no one listened really. Also, there was no music truck with us on stage, so people practically walked across the stage, while the commentator begged for a music truck for us (sigh).

Overall, I had a good time due to my friends and family playing, however to me the band had no vibe. When I looked at the video done on Izatrini.com, it was clear that IP was just really quiet and docile compared to the other bands.

I can't say I will play with them next year, but we will see how that goes.

Oh, and I attached a picture of me in my costume :)

IP Masquerader.

ISLAND PEOPLE EXPERIENCE 2K9


Ok....So I had paid for my costume by the end of January so I actually got fast tracked but even that woudlnt have mattered on the day I collected my costume. I expected some form of a wait when I reached Monday morning at 4 but I was totally suprised when I reached and in less than 5 minutes I had my costume in hand and was walking out to my car.

I was too too happy!!!

HOWEVER, by Friday when I went with another friend to pick up her costume I was horrified to meet a SUPER long line snaking its way out of the cashier office in the freaking sun no less!!! I managed to walk past the line to try to get a sense of what the pick up counter was looking like and was just as appauled to see that the lines had brocken down and it seemed like a free for all!

I met another friend who had been there long before us and yet was still there and even when he got into the pick up line only got his costume about an hour later! Thankfully my friend who i came with got her costume much faster (because she is very forward and finds ways around things).

While there I did notice a trend of people not being totally happy about their costumes....they either found that the headpiece was smaller or had less feathers.....I was happy I had none of those problems as I had no feathers or head piece for my costume!

What I couldnt understand however was why people waited so long to collect their costumes? I heard that from Monday to Thursday there were very little people there but Friday was a complete mess.

However with our costumes we could then concentrate on the weekend’s parties and looking forward to mas on the road.

I didnt play jouvert so I got up somewhat early and headed out to meet the band....we just missed the opporunity to jump up at the first judging point on the avenue but it was all good. We grabbed drinks and joined right in. We enjoyed ourselves till we got to around globe cinema when we realised that alot of people who we dont think should have been in the band were right in the thick of things. It was the first of many signs that security was a little lax.

We enjoyed ourselves none the less as we chipped to downtown port of spain and it was then it became apparent to me who this band was loyal to me as ‘Wild Ants’ magically appeared on the sound system once we approached the stage even though people were clamouring for some ‘Bachannal’. One of my girlfriends did not care for the song at all and so she did the ‘bad man dance’ everytime it came on (re: standing up with arms folded).

We then quickly went up to charlotte street and we realised food was being served.....problem was that it was being served on the go.....and I mea really on the go. People literally were running after the food truck and we joked it had to have been ‘fast food’. I actually followed some people by standing on one of the rungs of the truck and holding on because it was getting tiring running after a truck just to get food.

We even had to walk and eat as we didnt want to get left behind.

Now, I am not much of a food person during carnival time....a few bites is all i need or care for as i hate to jump up and down with a super full stomach. However I would rather that what little I do consume be tasty and I could not really say that for the food....it was just.....’edible’!

So we then progressed to the ‘savannah stage’ very quickly and and the experience of ‘crossing’ was over all to quickly and before we knew it we were already approaching qrc....and then I realised that the trucks were moving a lil too fast for comfort. We came to a stop once we got to qrc though.....just long enough for us to catch our breath and lie down for about half an hour. We made the mistake to approach the bar which was being swamped with people and i think were being restocked as they had very little of what any of my friends wanted to drink. (No redbull????? What????)

We then made our way back to the stadium just after nightfall and stayed long enough for the trucks to park so that we would have clear path to leave and go home.

Tueday my friends and i woke up early for preparations and pictures but still managed to make it to the stadium later than we would have liked....which resulted in the band once again being gone. We didnt use the shuttle on the Monday but we felt it proudent to this time.....only problem was it was taking its cool time to get there. We walked a little distance and it finally came and we reached to the band just in time for the rain to start pouring on us. We hid for cover as none of us wanted to meet the band already drenched but were very surpised to see the band leaving us well behind not caring that people would have to be drenched to keep up that hour in the morning.

I realise they have a schedule to keep but DAAAYYYUMMM....slow your roll just a tad why dont you? We caught up to them jsut after the second judging point and oddly enough we had a long wait by blode for some unknown reason....and we slowed down again by the library when here was another small downpour.

The biggest blast of rain came however just before the downtown judging point which was a shame because by the time the sun came out and we were crossing people had either discarded there head pieces or they looked god awfull.....I immediately could tell who had either totally managed to hide from the rain or had used fletch powder on their feathers or something just as effective. We still enjoyed ourselves crossing the stage and this time i did see machel on the truck signaling them to run his track. My friends didnt care at this point and danced with ants in our pants all the same......the brainswashing was complete.

We then once again walked in the rain up fredrick street. Lost some friends who refused to walk in the rain but some others managed to get lunch from the lunch truck and some girlfriend of mine took pity on me as i clearly looked hungry and fed me some soggy food.

We were once again held up on park street and on charlotte street for some time. Whe we finally made it to the savannah I realised that the sections were not lined up properly so I took advantage to just run amock and have fun.

However once we passed the ‘savannah stage’ the real problems started....my friends couldnt get anything to eat...real stragglers enetered the band and the trucks in general started moving like if we were in a race for something. We deviated from the route i thought we would take and ended up going to the round about close to elerslie and turning down and then being stuck for sometime crossing by a park....

By that time my friends couldnt take it anymore and left the band to head down to roxy to secure some food of our own but not before we saw one of the band leader themselves trying to usher out stragglers out of the band to no avail. We got food from some venndors and while I wanted to once again rejoin the band my friends decided to wait for the trucks at the stadium to see if they would once again have ann after party. We soon realised this wasnt the case and so we tried to put our tired feet up for a little bit.

20 mins later we tried to leave the stadium only to find a horrible traffic jam and it took 45 mins to get to the highway. It was thoroughly frustrating but we were happy that we had a great time otherwise.

Our costumes didnt have feather and so they held up well even thorughout the rain (cant say the same about my face paint but i cant blame that on island people). The actually glossy material on the waist bands had some wear from all the bummbers that wined on me and my friends but nothing to make us look too shredded.


All in all our experience was a good one.....if our crew was more centered on food we would have been pissed as most of my crew couldnt find food...and there were no snacks seen being shared as it was last year! The liquor situation was good....although at one point i wondered if the bar people could be more accomodating. The security was good on both mornings but i think faltered on both days after the savannah stage but i am now wondering if this is because it is more than they could ever handle....


Island People should see me again next year god spare life!

Dear Island People,

I am writing to express disappointment in my Carnival 2009 experience with you. I will first list the few positive aspects:

1. The online registration process was easy, fast, and efficient.

2. I received professional customer service when I called to ask questions about my costume.

3. The cashier line moved steadily on Carnival Friday even though the line was long.

4. Paramount security was good at keeping masqueraders away from the wheels of the trucks on Monday and Tuesday.


Here are the negatives that put a damper on my Carnival experience:

1.Costume distribution was very disorganized on Carnival Friday. When my fiance and I stood in "line" for over 4 hours to recieve our costumes. I placed quotation marks around the word line because I am unsure if one existed.

2. My costume- Heavenly Sky- only had one feather on left side of the bra when it should have had feathers on both sides. The attendant at the counter insisted that the bra came with feathers on one side only. In other words, part of my costume was missing at collection.

3. My Heavenly Sky headpiece was poorly made. The beads were falling off at collection. A staff member fixed them at the Distribution Center but they fell right off as I was putting on the headpiece on Carnival Tuesday morning. I also attempted to use shoe laces to keep it on my head because the elastic just didnt cut it. The shoe laces were ineffective. I ended up holding the headpiece in my hand for most of the day.

4. When we arrived at the downtown judging point, while security held back my section (Heavenly Sky- Chapter 2) as Paradisus crossed the stage, Dream (Chapter 4 or 5) was allowed to cross ahead of us. When security realized what was happening, Heavenly Sky masqueraders were told to push through Dream to get to the judging area. Unacceptable.

5. The pelau on Monday was cold and tasteless.

6. The food on Tuesday was cold.

7. Non-masqueraders were allowed to order drinks from the bar.

8. Crossing the "stage" at the savannah was a disaster. Non-masqueraders were allowed to jump in the band. Security was no where to be found.

9. The band got separated after the savannah. Truck 1 and 2 continued on the parade route leaving the rest of the band behind. D Krewe passed through our band, confusing many masqueraders. When the remaining trucks finally started moving they sped off resulting in us running after them.

10. The music shut off suddenly and without explanation on the way to the stadium on Tuesday.

Overall, the service I recieved from Island People Mas was below the standards advertised. I will be playing mas with another band next year.

Gathering the TRIBE

On Ash Wednesday the Trinidad Guardian ran a feature called "Gathering the TRIBE" by Mark Lyndersay that gave readers a behind the scene look of TRIBE the band from before the band launch up until Carnival. To view the photo essay click HERE.

Also, Mark has some photos of Mc Farlane, Evolution, Elements, Spice and TRIBE on the road in this gallery. enjoy!

Island People's Kuchela....

Is this Island People's theme for 2010?

Rumor also has it that Spice is going Asian as well, following the "Spice Route" for Carnival next year and that TRIBE may be heading out of this world into the final frontier..... I cannot wait to see what the bands have in store.

Band launching season starts in 4 months!

Trinidad Carnival 2009 Photos and Video!

Carnivalscene has a Gallery up with TRIBE Monday pics.

Trinisoca has photos from Carnival Tuesday.

Izatrini has a Flickr Gallery of photos on the road with TRIBE.

Toronto Lime has photos up from Carnival Monday and Tuesday and also a VERY nice video compilation of the bands crossing the Savannah stage in their Carnival 360. The video can be downloaded by clicking HERE.

I think I saw EVERYONE I know in that video!!

Send in Your Reviews!

Was your Carnival experience good, so-so, great or not so great? I want to hear all about it!

So send your reviews of the bands you played in, fetes you went to or even the services you used for Carnival (makeup, airbrush etc).

Photos are welcomed too!

email:trinidadcarnivaldiary@gmail.com

Carnival Results

The following list of Carnival 2009 winners is compiled from the National Carnival Commission:

· Road march was won by Fay Ann Lyons-Alvarez for “Meet Super Blue” played 410 times, with Destra Garcia following with Bacchanal being played 76 times.

List of Carnival Band winners for 2009

Children’s Bands:

Mini Jr. Band of the Year- Sunny – Rosemary Perkins

Small Jr. Band of the Year – The Rainbow Cycle – Spence Productions

Medium Jr. Band of the year – Heighten – Classic Productions

Large Jr. Band of the Year – National Pride – Rosalind Gabriel and associates

Adult Bands:

Monday Queen of the band – First Lady of the Chinese Court – Pamela Gordon

Monday King of the band – Apollo’s Lust – Curtis Eustace

Queen’s Park Savannah and Downtown:

Monday Mini Band of the day – Red Indian Days – Henry Ramdin and associates

Monday Large Band of the day – Africa, Her people, Her Glory, Her tears – Brain MacFarlane

Q.P.S. Monday Small Band of the Day: tribute to a Fallen Warrior

Q.P.S. Monday Medium Band of the Day: Trinidad All Stars

Q.P.S. Monday Large Band of the Day: Razzle Dazzle - Starlift

Tuesday Band of the Year:

Mini Band of the Year- Red Indian days – Henry Ramdin and Associates

Small band of the Year – Empires of the Sun – D’Midas

Medium band of the Year – Bacchanal – Ronnie and Caro Mas Band

Large band of the Year – George bailey Award – Africa, her people, her glory, her tears – Brian MacFarlane and Associates – 1378 points

Calypso Results Dimanche Gras 2009

1. Dr Hollis Liverpool – Chalkdust – My Hart and I

2. Joanne Rowley –Tigress – You Ent See Wajang Yet

3. Winston Scarborough (D’ Original De Fosto Himself)- Could We Rise Again

4. Brian London – A Nation’s Son

5. Kizzie Ruiz – Calss Language

6. Sandra Des Vignes Millington – Singing Sandra – Ghetto of your Mind

9. Winston Peters – Gypsy- Supply and Demand

9. Ann Marie Parks Cudjoe- Twiggy- One For Obama

9. Michael Osouna (Sugar Aloes) – Obama the First

10. Karen Asche – Babylon

11. Dexter Parsons (The Stinger) – Our Environmental Engineers

12. Carlos James (Skatie) – On Solid Ground

13. Weston Rawlins (Cro Cro) – Ah Feeling Shame

13. Anthony Hendrickson (All Rounder) – Help Your Children First

15. Mark John (Contender) – Yuh Cyar Buy One
16. Errol Ballantyne (Bally) – Amigo

MERRY MONARCH

Queen of carnival

1. Kadaffi Rommey – Manzandaba in Flight

2. Tamara Alleyne Gittens – Fairy Dust

3. Pamela Gordon – First Lady of the Chinese Court

4. Lisa Peters – layd Shanghai

6. Joan Mohammed – Madam Hypnotist

6. Gloria Dallsingh – Vision of D’Sea

7. Leslie Ann Boisselle – A Musical Ensemble – Pan and Brass

8. Lenore Caterson – The Scared Bird in the Kingdom of the Dragon

9. Rennee Joseph – Mama Bois

King of carnival

1. Stephen Alexis – Ndlovu In Search

2. Curtis Eustace – Apollo’s Lust

3. Glen Turnbull – Flight of D’ Golden Sun Lord

4. Wade Madray- The Way of Zen

5. Roland St George – Yacahu, Atiba’s son

6. Aaron Kalicharan – Spirit of the Ocean

7. Faried Carvalho – Vagas Jumbie

8. Lionel Jagessar Jr- Torngasak – Ultimate Drummer of the Woodlands

9. Leroy Prieto – Onaga

10. Theophilus Simmons – Legend of the Chinese Dragon.

Large Bands Panorama Final Results

1st Silver Stars 469
2nd Phase II Pan Grove 468
3rd Trinidad All Stars 460
4th Desperadoes 458
5th Renegades 457
6th Exodus 456
7th Siparia Deltones 450.5
8th Redemption Sound Setters 442

TRIBE Carnival 2009 Review

My preparations for Carnival 2009 began on Ash Wednesday of 2008, leading up to the big day in 2009 with an entire year of excitement and expectation; I have never been as prepared for a Carnival as I was for 2009 and I can safely say it was one of my best ever.

I absolutely loved my costume this year; it was the BEST costume I have ever worn, kudos to the designer Monique Nobrega whose sections I have always played in from inception. However, the costume was not without some issues. First off after collecting my costume I had to do my own adjustments on the craftsmanship of the tail, which was not all to my liking. I sat down with a glue gun and redid some of the extended feathers adding more to mine, as even though it was full there should have been longer bonnet feathers to the back. I also added gems to mine for an extra special touch.

The main change I made was in how the tail actually stayed on your body. Originally the tail came with two pieces of satin ribbon that was meant to be tied around the waist under the belt and that simply was not working for me. After tying the ribbon it looked messy and did not stay put at all. So, I got the brilliant idea to add velcro to the ribbon so I could then wear it as a belt (I cut off the excess after I velcroed it). I also added velcro to the waistband so everything lined up properly and then secured everything with stitch on the sewing machine; it was the most ingenious thing ever (pats self on back) as my tail stayed in place perfectly! My handiwork had to also come into play on my foot pieces as I got two LEFT sides when I collected my costume! That meant having to switch around the right side by taking apart all the decorations and re doing them in the right direction… by myself!

I was most annoyed with the error on the footpieces, which I did not discover until I was actually in the process of decorating the boots so there was no chance of me taking it back to get it corrected. Also they skimped on the number of bonnet feathers on the footpieces as well; there were supposed to be NINE and we only got TWO!!!!!!! Listen, I paid for NINE (as per the prototype) and I wanted my NINE. As I told someone, if I showed up at TRIBE to collect my costume with $9.00 short they were not giving me my costume. Therefore if we masqueraders paid for a certain amount of beads or feathers or decoration on our costume we should get it!

Those were my only complaints with the costume, other than that it was gorgeous and everyone in my section did look as if they got what was advertised for the most part. I must take some time to give HUGE thanks and KUDOS to Richard and Anthony who worked with me on customizing my costume to my personal specifications. And before anyone wanted to know how come I got something “special” I called TRIBE from the get go and asked if I could add extras to my costume and they obliged. Other people in different sections also got special customization as well; there was a wire bra and a collar in Caged Canary for example.

So after a great day on the road Monday, Tuesday started for me super early as I was up since before 3AM to get to my makeup appointment for 5AM. This year I chose to go with the very talented Kirk Thomas (full review to come later) and he was worth every cent I paid! He did an awesome job on me as well as the other four girls who were in my group; one also made the Newspapers yesterday!!

Once the makeup was done I was glad I had chosen an early appointment as we got parking very easy in the Savannah and just strolled down Stanmore Avenue to meet the band which was just pulling off. The breakfast trucks were serving doubles, bake and something, also fruit. The band moved along Tragerete Road and turned unto Park Street, now I had heard a few weeks ago that TRIBE was not going downtown and at first I was thinking that downtown “stage” was one of the better experiences however I understood the need to avoid the jam we were in last year so I welcomed the change. It was still relatively early for some when we met the band and as we needed to get to the front I ended up walking the entire length from the back and it was huge but not uncontrollable at that point.

On a side note on Monday my husband got a FEMALE ID band and did not realize that until he was about to put it on that morning. Slight panic when we realized TRIBE’s error but a few phone calls later and it situation was resolved, we were to collect his correct band from one of the Road Managers who made sure and checked that I was wearing mine and took back the wrong band as well.

There was no lengthy wait to get from Stanmore to the Savannah, I think the only time we stopped for a while was when rain started and masqueraders took shelter under the gas station on Charlotte Street.

Other than that we had a smooth chip all the way to the Savannah, so much so that I had to race forward to meet my section. After all the complaints about TRIBE crossing the Savannah as a jumbled mess in 2008 security was VERY adept in making sure that the sections stayed in their correct order and that they were kept from racing unto the stage ahead of time. Being frontline we were allowed to cross first and crossing with the best truck in the band we had a BALL!!! That judging point made up for not going downtown. All that was missing was a ramp and an elevation so that we could feel as if we were on stage but it was much better than last year overall, even if my section was not first!

The agenda after crossing was to head to lunch, again last year there were major complaints about getting lunch late so we were quite pleased to show up at the lunch stop and it was early!!! I was able to get a nice spot on the Heineken mat under an umbrella for me and my friends as well as I secured some blankets for those who had to sit on the grass. We were so early that the lunch was not even being served as yet but soon enough they started. One advantage to getting to the lunch stop early is getting clean toilets without the lineup! The menu looked the same as Monday but the actual lunch was different, I love Kibbi so I went with the international, one complaint is that the rice was too dry.

While having lunch is when we were rained on… twice! The first downpour was not so bad, it was over and the sun peeked out before the bulk of people arrived at the lunch stop. It was the second downpour that seemed as if it was not going to stop and brought with it chilling rain to the bone! Now we were under a Heineken umbrella but there were people taking shelter under he food tent, trees, blankets and even plastic! I saw some masqueraders with a shower cap on and even one with an umbrella! Eventually the rain stopped and we were all hoping that the sun would come out and no more rain for the rest of the day! Many headpieces were ruined and lots of droopy wet feathers were walking around. By the end of the day most had plumped back up. For me my tail was safely stashed away in a car at lunch and my headpiece was fully waterproofed along with every feathered part of my costume (including said tail). Fletch dry works excellent but cannot stand up to extended periods of constant rain!

Soon after the rain stopped we were back on the road again, perfect timing. Let me tell you we started off at the back of the band and made our way forward and the size of TRIBE was felt going down that street by the Oval where we were just swamped with people! Listen, there is no way that was 5000 people and no way that TRIBE cut down on numbers!! The band was as big as last year and for the most part I did not feel as crowded however at certain areas and by certain DJ trucks it seemed as if 3000 people were jammed in right there. By the Oval was a jam session (people please use the lunch stop as an opportunity to make use of the wet wipes and deodorant provided) with some smelly people, I had to get out from behind the rope and move to the sidewalk. Navigating through with huge headpiece meant lots of people got a mouthful of feathers; if you see the massive headpiece coming GET OUT THE WAY! My friend went through all the jam with her back pack on, and people were slapped in their faces so many times it was too funny.

Another tight spot was as we turned by Synergy but I learned from early on to speed up and get in front the truck before they turned. I also kept moving so that I avoided areas that were too crowded and jumped on the sidewalk or walked ahead closer to truck # 2 or bar #2. Truck #3 was my section truck and every other section wanted to be by THAT truck! I also heard the same thing happened with the other popular trucks as well; everyone was jammed in that area. The size of the band really, REALLY needs to be taken into consideration and numbers reduced for 2010, I don’t care who wants to get in TRIBE tell them NO.

The rope pullers were the hardest working people on the road, they tried their best to keep out the stormers who were probably listening to the live feed on 96.7FM and decided to come down and join TRIBE! Way too much attention! Security was also working hard; there was the regular security and the mean looking SPU who were scanning hands for ID bands. But curious enough many plain clothes people had ID bands IN the band! Rumour has it that fake ID bands were sold for $600.00TT! As for security chucking masqueraders out their wrong section, it did not happen with me but Carnival Jumbie has a rant on that subject and one of the other bloggers also said that security personnel physically ordered him out of a section he was not supposed to be in before crossing the Savannah. That type of “manhandling” is cause for some serious issues and I hope TRIBE gives the staff some training for 2010 on how to treat the PAYING masquerader before someone who gets jostled slaps them with a law suit. On another note security did want to call SPU for a stormer who I had to accost for wanting to push through and damage my headpiece, so they were working extra hard to keep order. For the most part the sheer size of TRIBE was mostly costumed masqueraders!

The best jump up for the day for me was on Ariapita Avenue where we crossed the Synergy Stage (after eating copious amounts of Pizza) and Richmond Street heading back up Tragetere Road as I had enough space where I was to jump up and get on bad! Also by that time a full afternoon of Johnny Walker and Coconut Water had taken effect and I was having a time! Please note TRIBE that some bar folks were telling people only one drink at a time when some bars were super crowded. Again I hardly made trips to the bar (thanks to the hubby and the people I was liming with) but when I did I avoided the bars with a mob of people and walked forward to bar #2! I also heard complaints that the bar was too high, and in retrospect I can see how this is a valid complaint for people under a certain height as I am tall and I had to stretch to give the bar folks my cup.

Contrary to reports out there TRIBE did not end at 5:00PM, I was at Truck #3 and we made it back to Stanmore Avenue at around 6:45PM with the rest of the band still on Tragerete Road. My Carnival ended, as it does each year at around 7:00PM (I don’t stick around in Port of Spain very late) however many people did enjoy the after party at Jenny’s Car Park and kudos to TRIBE for that move.

Overall, this was the BEST Carnival in a long time, in spite of the rain, in spite of the sheer numbers of people and in spite of the costume glitches. My costume and the friends that were with me Monday and Tuesday really added to that feeling as well. I was happy to see that many of the issues masqueraders had last year were addressed this year with new measures put in place to avoid the congestion. The one thing TRIBE failed to deal with was the SIZE of the band; everyone simply CANNOT play in the band! So, my letter to TRIBE will be penned soon to address those concerns.

In the meantime let me thank everyone who made this Carnival special to me:

Richard and Anthony – thank you for your fabulous job on my costume! You guys are truly talented, that Blue Tanager individual was just phenomenal and I hope you guys stick around for 2010. Also thanks for putting up with my crazy ideas and the number of times I harassed you guys on when it came to working on my costume to give it that extra special touch.

Solange Shaw Gopaul (designer of Caged Canary) – Thanks for allowing me to be one of the Canaries on Monday! I had a great time and loved your section; looking forward to your designs for 2010 I already have a list of people waiting with baited breath to see what you come with, including me!

Kirk Thomas – Thank you for the fabulous job on the makeup .I walked in a downtown girl and walked out an uptown diva! And I know that giving you special mention will mean you are booked solid in 2010 but please note I have already secured my space ladies!

Cbee- Thanks for tracking down my Victoria Secrets bra and also for the copious amounts of Fletch Dry Powder that saved my costume!

Trinprincess – Thanks for braving the cold to go downtown New York and trekking through the fashion district to secure my bling! I was all accessorized (down to my bag) thanks to you!

Aissa – Thanks for taking me by granny for the Diva redo! You saved me from walking around with a horrid run in my stockings and gave me a spot to refresh and recharge!

And finally Thanks to Monique Nobrega for a GORGEOUS costume and for switching my section when I bitched about the line up and all the staff at TRIBE who I had to deal with that helped me out in which ever way to make sure my Carnival was awesome! See you in 2010!