7 months ago
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Diversity took the lead on Sunday as revellers came out in droves for Carnival in Jamaica. For Xodus specifically, there was no shortage of fuller-figured baddies and veteran revellers.
For ‘feteran’ Corah Ann Robertson-Sylvester, who says she is on the “higher end of fifties”, Carnival is a lifestyle.
“This one is fabulous. The pace of the mas is good. It’s not fast. We can enjoy ourselves,” she said. “Carnival is my life!”
Not being confined by their ages or the fact that she was in a wheelchair, Sylvester’s mother and father who are 88 and 89, respectively, made an effort to go see the daughter they still refer to as their “babygirl”.
While full-figured women sometimes have a hard time time with their costumes, some resellers say Xodus is the way to go.
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Kingston native Shelby Hickey told The Gleaner: “This is my first time playing mas and doing carnival, and I’m really pleased with the Xodus experience. It was an awesome costume delivery. I got exactly what I wanted, and I would certainly do it with them again.”
Citing the lively music and the fast delivery of the costumes as her favourite part of the experience, she said Xodus now has a special place in her heart.
Echoing similar sentiments, Texan besties Renika Atkins and Natasha Bostic shared that for their first carnival experience, Xodus definitely delivered.
“Its amazing! We love all the glam and the dancing,” Bostic said.
Emphasising how diverse they though the crowd was, she continued: “We love it. I feel so glamorous and beautiful.”
Agreeing in the most nonchalant way, Atkins said, “As long as it fits my boobs, I’m good.”
The pair said that this is the start of a new tradition for them.
GENXS AN ‘XPERIENCE’
GenXs, the newest band out of Jamaica, pulled out all the stops with costumes, complimentary gifts and dynamic events to deliver to their patrons an ‘Xperience’ like no other. And, when they fell short of expectations, an apology was quickly proffered via their socials in response to the long wait times at the band’s distribution centre. It was not the only apology of the weekend. Yard Mas released a statement offering redress to some 20 masqueraders who did not receive their backpacks.
Masqueraders arrived bright and early to the designated Liguanea Club muster point for the Gen Xs Road March on Sunday. Under the theme, Unleash The Dragon, the costumes were ambitiously designed in shapes and colours reminiscent of the mythical fire-breathing creature and the effect of the men and women finally fully outfitted was truly a sight to behold.
The crowd was minimal in the morning, but that was to be expected knowing the perpetually fashionably late local crowd. By post-lunch break, the crowd had taken advantage of the steadily flowing liquor and spirits. The small crowd tripled in size for the afternoon session and it was a memo which was apparently widely distributed, judging from the fresh faces intermingling with those already bearing signs of the earlier ‘chipping’ session. ‘Karnival Kween’ Kandi King of Stocking By Kandi joined at lunch just as ready as if she had arrived from the morning.
“I came late, I won’t lie. I only made it [on the road] at the lunch spot, but I’m having a great time,” she shared.
The high-energy vibes that has become the band’s trademark was delivered and ‘GenXers’ would find no time to rest between expert mixing and selecting by the season’s DJ’s that had become familiar to them throughout this year’s season. A standout moment was the iconic stage-crossing on a wooden set-up across the streets of New Kingston on Knutsford Boulevard. The stage shook with the heavy movement of running, jumping and dancing across with some revellers signing the planks with their names and messages.
YARD MAS MAKES BIG MOVES
Yard Mas, marked their second year ‘tripping down the road’ as the ‘revellers’ were intentionally given an authentic treat to this year’s execution, one of which was a change from its Centre Stage central point to the National Indoor Sports Centre.
“Really and truly, this was to enhance the customer’s experience – it’s air conditioned, which I don’t think anybody has ever really gotten in the Caribbean and I think that’s a real big move ,” Dominic Bell, communications manager of Campari, one of the event’s major sponsors, told The Gleaner.
“Campari Boulevard [also] allows for us to entertain even more persons within a safer real estate, where we were able to incorporate that of a stage, crafting persons participating in Xodus and Yard Mas to participate in a safe crossing which haven’t been done in Jamaica since Jamaica Carnival with [soca band leader] Byron Lee,” he added.
In comparison to the previous carnivals, Bell said he saw a massive growth and believes Jamaica can be the home of a world-class carnival experience.
“Each year we are curating a true carnival in Jamaica culture. It’s the only carnival that incorporates so much dancehall and reggae music in addition to the other genres so it feels more authentic,” he shared, adding that the 2019 staging saw “approximately 50 thousand patrons but this year seemed to be way more”.
Though the energy was low at the start of the road march as many persons seemed more interested in taking personal photos and snaps, they were all adorned in “movie inspired costumes” such as Black Panther, Justice League and Lion King which added to Yard Mas experience.
“It’s like a kaleidoscope of the Caribbean with majority of the persons being Jamaicans but there are persons from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guyana, France, Canada,” Bell explained, expounding on the linkages that Carnival in Jamaica allow for tourism, taxi drivers, vendors and temporary workers.
With most of the revellers at Yard Mas being newcomers, Bell said it’s a ‘good thing’ because it further adds more to not just the companies involved but the overall Jamaican economy.
The execution which Bell described as “90 day-marathon of constant communication and planning,” was thoroughly meted out to suit the appetite of a crowd of impressionable youthful and vibrant team that Bell thinks was “perfectly executed”.
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