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One of the most anticipated aspects of any carnival experience is the theme. A make-or-break decision for any carnival band, the theme sets the tone for events, brand partnerships, costumes, and so much more.
It is with this in mind that GenXS Jamaica proudly unveiled ‘Kingdom of the Sun’ for Carnival in Jamaica 2025, hoping to relay an exciting narrative that is still simple and easily understood by their eager patrons.
“When we first came on in 2019 in Miami, our theme was ‘Beauty in Chaos’. Now that I look back on it, it was a cool name, but it’s not something that was easily translated,” said Matthew Waddell, the band’s co-director.
“What we’re doing now is … interacting more and having dialogue with our designers. I remember one discussion we had, where they were telling us [to] ‘just keep it simple’; they explained they needed something that was easily understood so they could start creating right away. So that’s what we did,” Waddell continued.
‘Kingdom of the Sun’ follows the battle of “celestial beings” fighting for control over the universe’s most revered source of power – the sun.
“It’s the sun – it is easy to communicate, it is a narrative that would have been tough to drop the ball [on]. We believe it will be something the masqueraders will love, and, as I said, our designers had a great time playing around with this theme for the costumes because it was so readily understood,” Waddell told The Gleaner.
MORE OPTIONS
While the band’s leadership is gleeful over the direction the story/narrative has taken, concerns have been raised over practicality, with some past patrons of the band noting issues like small cuts and piercing wires from previous years.
Waddell says to address these concerns, GenXS is giving customers more options.
“We have to recognise that at the end of the day, designers are creatives. Sometimes, they want to do the biggest, brightest and most visually implosive pieces of work. So, this year, we are giving our jumpers options. Persons will have the opportunity to choose the practicality and the comfort and feel in a better space to enjoy themselves. But you are going to have the girlies that want the art and everything that comes with [that] – and we are here for that,” he told The Gleaner.
The co-director went on to explain that he and his team are still ready and prepared for the feedback from their customers to address as many concerns that come up as possible.
The carnival season is right around the corner, and the major bands are in full preparation mode, gearing up for what is considered one of Jamaica’s busiest periods. According to Waddell, this new season represents growth for GenXS.
“I think people need to understand that 2023 was our proof-of-concept year. Come to Jamaica and show you guys that, ultimately, we are Jamaicans, and this is what we do – execute at a high level. [The year] 2024 was our scaling year. We wanted to bring more masqueraders to enjoy what we had to offer. For 2025, we’re now refining the experience,” Waddell said.
GenXS is the second band to launch its costumes for the 2025 Carnival in Jamaica season, with Xodus unveiling its ‘Garden of Paradise’ in October. Yard Mas is set to launch its costumes in the new year, with the band indicating that it will host its presentation in January 2025.
English (US) ·