Sold Out Section Update ....

This time it is HARTS




Also SOLD OUT
Court Dancers Bronze and Silver,only the Gold remains,.

Harem MALE

Parthia MALE

Sexy Swanky Sailors ... Miami Carnival

Miami Carnival 2K8

Band: Mud, Mas, & Camo
Section: Sexy Swanky Sailors

Price: $ 75.00 All Inclusive Section, Food & Drinks will be included, Carnival Survivor Bag, Powder, & Carnival Mix CD
Sizes: Available in all sizes...Suspenders have now been added to the costume
Groups: Ladies registering in groups of 5 will have 5.00 off the price of each costume
Music: NY's Natural Freaks, Back 2 Basics, and GB Productions
Contact: Patrice Campbell (305) 761-2581 or email trinidoll1@aol.com

Mc Farlane's Africa

News from Mc Farlane's camp and it promises to be exciting! This may very well be the only band launch I am looking forward to this month...I have been hearing whispers of tribes such as the Masai...imagine that brought to life on the streets of Port of Spain for 2009! I await with anticipation until next Saturday:

MacFarlane is ready to launch.

“Africa, Her People, Her Glory, Her Tears”

The launch will take the form of a media presentation at 5:30 am on Saturday 11th October, 2008. Mc Farlane's website (macfarlanecarnival.net) will be launched at midnight of the same day.

The 2009 presentation promises to be powerful not only through her beauty as the mother land but also through her peoples, her history, her rhythms which as time progresses will reveal relationships and connections between Africa and us as Caribbean people.

View and enjoy a gallery of pictures from 2008 “Earth, Cries of Despair, Wings of Hope” now available on the website.

The Mas Camp at #49 Rosalino Street will be officially open from Monday 13th October, at 5:00pm and loyalty card holders will have the privilege of registering during a preferred registration period from Monday 13th October to Sunday 2nd November, 2008.

General registration, where we welcome new Band Members, is open from Monday 3rd November, 2008.

Question and Answer With the Band Leader

Are bands like yours doing anything to re-develop the local industry instead of outsourcing production to foreigners. I'm sure if people can do whatever out there it can b done locally...

First off, all bands are not buying ready made costumes from outside. In fact only a small percentage are being imported. The majority of bands produce their costumes locally. But this is a free market society and I guess a band leader has the same right as any businessman to seek product where ever he or she wants. It 's up to the consumer to decide if they like the quality of the costumes or not.
I am a firm believer in producing locally, but it comes at an increased cost. Let me explain.

All of the materials we use for carnival are imported, if you import raw materials from India or China you have to pay the cost plus freight, Duties, Taxes. on each individual item you import. you always have to import more than you need in each component to ensure that you don't run short, or to cover you in case of mishaps. When you import ready made costumes, you are paying for exactly what you need .

When you assemble here in Trinidad without a doubt the labour cost is substantially more because there is no way Trini workers will work for what Chinese, Indian or lots of Latin American workers would. It's almost slave wages and child labour you are competing against. But this is a fact with most items (no matter what it is ) imported from these countries. Their advantage will always be CHEAP LABOUR. Once again I support local labour as I know we do better quality.

Does YOUR band include Licenses and Fees for C.O.T.T, NCBA and importation of Feathers (licenses)into the price of your costumes and pass this on to masqueraders?Isn't this something that should be absorbed by the band?

As in any business all of the above are considered to be part and parcel of the cost of producing a product. They comprise part of your cost price, profit is added on to that.

How do you determine which sections go first and which sections go last? Is it determine by price, color of costume or is it determined by coordination of the band?

It is done by the coordination of the band, and of course either to follow a story line or to make an impact by having contrasting colored sections cross after each other.

Dragon Dancers

Legacy launches "Kingdom of the Dragon" on October 18th at The Anchorage, however private sections are already busy promoting, this one is called "Dragon Dancers" and the prices are not bad at all for All-Inclusive:

DAVID & FRIENDS (Legacy)

Carnival 2009 V.I.P. Section

Dragon Dancers

Chinese New Year Dragon Dance showcases the best of Chinese traditions and customs. For centuries, Chinese have shown great belief and respect towards dragon. The people of China have faith in a long held belief that they are descendents of the dragon, an age old conviction which is firmly embedded in their customs and traditions. Whereas in western cultures dragons are usually regarded as a symbol of scare and malevolence, in China the dragon is held in high esteem for its supernatural power, goodness, fertility, vigilance and poise.

(FEMALE)
FRONT LINE SECTION - $ 2,600.00 TT V.I.P.

(FEMALE)
NORMAL SECTION - $ 2,200.00 TT V.I.P.
(MALE)
SECTION - $ 2,000.00 TT V.I.P.


Email:
nicholas_1984@hotmail.com
davebaggy@hotmail.com

Vintage Tuesdays...

Today I have two Post War Carnival articles dated 1946.

During the war for almost six years Carnival celebrations were "restricted" and 1946 marked the return of Carnival in it's full splendor.

You will note that last week I published 1900 -1903, and this week we jumped to 1946, well there are no articles published between 1904 -1945 strangely!

Part 1 can be accessed by this link or downloaded here.

Part 2 can be accessed by this link or downloaded here.


Dragon

Steel Band

SOURCE: National Cultural Council Cultural Research

Trini Revellers Band Launch Photos

Click the Photo below to be taken to the gallery on Trinistars.com

Monday Question time...

It's MONDAY!! Question time once again for our bandleader, please leave a comment or email me your questions at trinicarnivaldiary@yahoo.com.

TWO questions that the band leader missed last week:

• Are bands like yours doing anything to re-develop the local industry instead of outsourcing production to foreigners. I'm sure if people can do whatever out there it can b done locally...

• Does YOUR band include Licenses and Fees for C.O.T.T, NCBA and importation of Feathers (licenses)into the price of your costumes and pass this on to masqueraders?Isn't this something that should be absorbed by the band?
  

We Playing Sailor

Just Friends launched their Carnival 2009 presentation "We Playing Sailor" last Sunday at the St James amphitheater. The persons behind this new band are Chris Humphrey, Earl Crosby and Ann Marie Placide who state that the concept behind the band is making the mas experience simple. The goal is bringing together people who want to enjoy Carnival without spending thousands of dollars on a costume or lining up for hours to cross the stage.

We Playing Sailor has set a maximum masquerader capacity of 500 with costumes priced at $850.00 all inclusive and will not be entering competitions! Masqueraders can also choose to have the band further embellish their simple sailor costumes or do it on their own as the costumes are fully customizable, making each one as unique as the masquerader chooses to be.

Registration for We Playing Sailor is avaialble at the following locations:

1 Fitt Street Woodbrook

Crosby's Music Centre
54 Western Main Road
St James
Chris Humphrey Mas Camp
10 Panka Street
St James

Photo Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Candy Shop Teaser....

Wee International's website is still not updated but here is a sneak peek of three sections:







Looking much better than the live launch, cannot wait to see the rest in detail.

Wee International Live Band Launch.. the aftermath

Wee International launched their 2009 Carnival presentation "Candy Shop" last night "LIVE ONLINE" with streaming video. The concept is a great one, I think more bands should add a live stream from their band launch for viewers overseas or those who were not able to make it to the launch. Though it is a novel addition to Carnival band launches there were a few glitches along the way.

Firstly the launch started late so that meant the live feed was also delayed, no biggie since I almost forgot about the live launch and was able to catch the start of it.... when I finally got streaming video! The link on Wee's website was not working for me and their sponsor BLINK, who advertised that you could view the live launch on their website, had no link at all! I finally got to see the live streaming of the launch on Trini Fetes.

The quality of the video was pretty poor, very grainy and the colours were muted, not to mention the camera man showed some poor angles. However one could still see enough of the costumes to decide if they were interested .. or not. I saw the sections Paradise Plum, Cocoa bean and Chocolate Passion before my attention was diverted elsewhere, such is the caveat of viewing the launch at home!

When I got back to the computer I saw a black section.. and a white section with HUGE wings; I still do not know the names of that section or anything else after the first three to be honest. From what I have seen the costumes look pretty good. I would have liked to have still photographs of the costumes to look at in more detail or even the video of the launch be available for download to look at it again. I guess we have to wait for the website to see better photos of the costumes.

Kudos to Wee for trying something different with the live streaming of the launch, I hope this is a trend that other bands can adopt for the future.

Wee's mas camp is located on the corner of Kathleen Street and Bournes Road.
Email wee.carnival@hotmail.com

Band Size and Numbers

If you always wanted to know how many masqueraders make up a Carnival band and what that means in terms of band size here is the break down:

Large Band - 1001 and over
Medium Band - 301 -1000
Small Band - 51- 300
Mini Band - 11-50
Group -3-11

So, now you know when bands say they have won Medium Band of the Year and Small Band of the Year approximately how many members made up the band! Personally I think the numbers need to be adjusted for Large Band to include Mega Band with 3000 and more masqueraders!

Genesis Band Launch Photos

More photos from Genesis band launch "Glitz and Glamour of Vegas" can be seen at Xclusiv Eventz and Lizzard Blizzard


Photo Source: www.xclusiveventz.com

Costume price breakdown.....

So, in response to the importation of costumes and the lower cost of production overseas one band leader has stepped forward to give me a break down of prices for costumes produced locally in Trinidad. Please note that is not the same band leader who does my question/answer session nor are any of the photos used for illustration purposes are affiliated with this band leader:

Another topic which I think needs to be addressed is the high cost that the Trinidad supplier, which in most cases increase the cost of the locally produced costume.

You know the Carnival suppliers. I"ll give you a breakdown of the necessary accessories required to produce a costume, to which you can add whatever you like to enhance it. Now remember this is basic and can be considered a decent acceptable costume.

Bath suit- Made in T&T $70.00 pom-pom shorts & tankanis - $10.00 extra

Head bowl - Made in T&T $16.00

Feathers - Ostrich 18"-21" --US$200.00/lb approx125 feathers/lb. Divide 200.00/125=$1.6/ feather, say $2.00x 7 feathers/headpiece=US$14.00

Beads - (top Quality) $7.00/yd ---1 costume uses 2yds tops= US$14.00

Appliques - Bras(2) xUS$7.00 = $US14.00

Belt (1) xUS$7.00 = $US07.00

Other accessories (neck piece/hand& foot piece) say US$20.00

Total expenses- (US prices X by 6)
bath suit 80.00
head bowl 16.00
feathers 84.00
Beads 84.00
appliques 126.00
other accessories 120.00
Sub total $TT510.00
Add another $TT200.00 for argument 200.00
Total $TT 700.00

I know my headpiece has much more than 7 Ostrich plumes and some bands use much more than just two appliques, most of the more contemporary bands are straying from using appliques actually .. but I digress.

However as I said before, the band leader stated that this is for a BASIC costume. What do you think of this cost? Do you think that this matches with the imported costume prices or do you think that the more elaborate the costume the more expensive it becomes to produce locally?

Question and Answer With the Band Leader

Dear Bandleader,

What do you think of the recent information uncovered by Saucy re: Pekar India supplying mas bands?

Is this information you think should be made available to masqueraders?

Do you have knowledge of this gentleman? Have you ever used/sourced materials from Pekar India?

If yes, can you confirm that Pekar India's materials superior or inferior?

Thank Much. AC

I know some of it to be accurate, and yes we all import to a certain extent, components from India and the China and U.S. and U.k.. Some bands do import complete costumes, although no band I know of imports all their costumes from abroad,To do so would be stupid.

Most of us have to go through a middle man usually out of the U.S. So whatever cost that may have been posted would not include air freight to the U.S. and clear their customs first, then an added fee for the agent then to freight forward it to Trinidad .duty,and VAT. not to mention as I have said before cost of head pieces ( which can be more expensive than the whole costume) music, security, bar, year round running cost that has to be added on. I have dabbled in importing costumes from abroad, but don't anymore. Not speaking for anyone other than myself, generally I find imports inferior to the costumes made locally. Usually To be able to order direct from India and China the quantities have to be a lot. And even though I am hear to give the point of view of the bandleaders, I can not always defend the unscrupulous ones.But like I said I don't import complete costumes. So I will leave this topic here.

Dear Bandleander,
I will like to know what is the response to the blog Trinidad Carnival Diary among the mas fraternity?

Are bandleaders,designers and others involved with Carnival paying any attention to the opinions of this one woman called "Saucy?".

Do you think the blog is a positive or negative addition to Carnival?

Thank you

Hard to say really, but I will admit that Saucy on average is pretty fair, and even though she has her favourite designers and bands, she is upfront in saying so. After all it is her blog, and I respect her diligence and investigative skills. I only started reading her blog earlier this year. one of my employees turned me on to it. I would strongly suggest bandleaders read and do their best to listen to feedback from the public. We tend to have a knee jerk reaction to criticism, we feel insulted by the negative things people can say . I am sometimes guilty of this. But I try to keep a cool head and swallow my pride and sort through the criticisms because even though some of it is bias or based in ignorance, a lot of it also makes sense, and we need to listen to masqueraders. So if bandleaders are not seeking out feedback as in for instance blogs like these, then that would be a big mistake., We don't know everything even though we like to think we do. So a dose of eye opening criticism can be just what the doctor ordered.

This is a busy week for me, so that's all for now. Hope to hear more from you all next week.

Green Honeycreeper Bra

Since the O ring bra was only recommended for A cups this is what the regular bra option for Green Honey Creeper now looks like:

Extensive testing has shown that the "ring bra" option for Green Honeycreeper will not provide you with sufficient support and would require frequent adjustment. Therefore, the bra has been redesigned to ensure that your comfort on the road is not compromised.

Size A to C





Size D and over





An email will be sent out to those registered in this section to verify the type of bra and sizes.

Genesis - Gltiz and Glamour of Vegas

As seen in today's Trinidad Express

Vintage Tuesdays

As a person born in the era before bikini mas had taken it's stronghold on Trinidad Carnival I can still remember, as a child, my mother playing mas in clothed costumed regalia and even the scandal caused when women paraded in short pants! My most distinct memory, however the one defining presentation forever burned into my psyche has to be Peter Minshall's River.

The first glimpse of Minshall's brilliance that year,1983,when my mother took me to the preliminary King and Queen competitions; every one was in awe at the mechanical looking legs of the Man Crab costume, not knowing quite what to make of it as it was unlike any other King on stage that night. On Carnival Monday and Tuesday the River came to town! Peter Minshall designed a 100ft length of white fabric, held aloft by masqueraders, which from afar looked like a moving river of white fabric! Tuesday a riot of colour erupted as the white was doused with paint, I remember looking at this transformation of mas from one symbolism to the next and from my viewing vantage point of a youngster it was the most incredible thing I had ever seen!

Though I have grown to love playing bikini mas and get excited over the beads and feathers, no other presentation has ever had that effect on me as an adult as that was pure theater on the streets as today we simply indulge in a rolling street party. Critics constantly bemoan the loss of our traditional mas and many, many masqueraders today do not even know the history of Trinidad's Carnival or even the traditional characters that are almost extinct from the landscape of mas.

So it was with an extreme pleasure when I discovered a treasure trove of newspaper articles and first person accounts about Trinidad Carnival from the 1900s to the 1970s researched and compiled by the National Cultural Council. On loan to me, I have decided to feature these articles every Tuesday from now until Carnival 2009 with excerpts from the various years.

The feature today is 1900 to 1903

To read the articles, click on the pages above and you will be taken to a new page where you can read the document online or you can just CLICK HERE .For PDF Version DOWNLOAD

Hopefully you will enjoy these articles as much as I am enjoying learning that many aspects of Trinidad Carnival were different in the early 20th century,yet many things still remain the same!

Wee International Victims of Carnival Crime!!

Bandits are stealing Carnival designs now... huh?

click for large view

Monday Question Time

And after all the buzz last week with imported costumes, I am sure you have LOTS of questions for our band leader this week!