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Carnival Reviews

Complete 2021 Miami Carnival Fete Review

2021-miami-carnival-fete-schedule

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We are going to get right into this Miami Carnival Fête Review. Normally I like to fete hop because I believe that different fete different people equals different vibes to experience. But this year I wanted to ease myself back into it all so with that said I kept my fete schedule nice and light. With that said we did one fact per night along with j’ouvert and of course mas which will get into later.

So keep reading and let’s get into my complete 2021 Miami Carnival fete review.

Travel to where you want to go: hide

3 Soca Brainwash

4 SSS Blue J'ouvert

5 Shop Carnival Essentials

Insert location photos here 3-5

Tribe Ignite

Thursday, October 7th | 9p – 3a
Miami Marine Stadium
Drink-Inclusive – $75
Casual

First up on this Miami carnival fete review is true and tried, Tribe Ignite. I arrived in Miami on Thursday afternoon and waited to meet up with the other ladies in the group. After meeting up we all went to the hotel to check-in and were able to check in early, so far so good, so we thought. After checking into a hotel seamlessly we thought we would have no issues picking up our costumes and j’ouvert packages instead we ended up spending hours at both locations. After finally leaving both mas camps we grabbed food before heading back to the hotel to get ready for Tribe Ignite 2021 fete. After playing the waiting game all day long we were too happy that we decided to do tribe which ended up being a nice casual drink inclusive fete. We opted to drive since it was a group of us and had already decided to rotate driving responsible throughout the week, so we headed out to the fete which was located at the Miami Marina Stadium, paid the $20 parking.

Arriving closer to 11 pm we were able to miss the entry issues that apparently occurred later happens at night. Sadly we were apparently too late and missed the complimentary cups they came with entry however, I made my first stop at the bar while dancing to the music upon entry. Most people who travel with me know that 4/5 you’ll find me which a drink in hand dancing freely away from the pushing and bumping which is exactly what I did. The freedom to just enjoy the music and space that I had. Eventually, we ran to the food section and stopped to take some nice pictures before heading back to the bar dancing.

Overall, as one of the “arrival” fetes, Tribe was nice. The only minor issue that I had was some of the bartenders. I’m not sure what it was with Miami Carnival but a large number of the bartenders at all the fetes I attended this year were clearly not doing or liked their jobs and that’s all I’ll say on that. But anyway, if you’re looking for a nice fete that still has the energy I would suggest Tribe Ignite. A great drink inclusive chill fete to start off carnival weekend.

Rating: 4/5
Final Verdict: Hit

Citrus

Friday, October 8th | 1 – 7p
MacArthur Cswy
All-Inclusive – $140
Citrus Color Dressy

Citrus was by far one of the fetes that I had the highest hope for but unfortunately, it was my least favorite fete. Parking was extremely limited but also Citrus was scheduled to begin at 1 pm however entry began closer to 5 pm with the ending pushed to 11 pm, however, a notice of the delay wasn’t even posted until after 2 pm. Additionally, those who arrived at the location were told nothing except entry was being delayed due to guests not being in line. From where we were there was no organization or communication initially as to what was going on. After talking to two different security members, they also apparently had no clue.

After we officially were able to enter I was pleasantly surprised with the decor but that was quickly overshadowed by the lines for drinks and food. With the extended wait time for entry, there was a mass rush for food and drinks. The food stations were too close together, with limited organization and short staff to handle the larger group of people who are entered at one time. And truth be told the food was not good which was another disappointment. The drink stations though packed was a little better due to having more staff however once again drink service ended well before the fete did. Luckily the performances were on point which made up for about 25% of the night or it would have been a complete wash.

This is a hard one but if you’re considering Citrus In the future I would have to say it’s a tossup. Citrus Miami 2021 ended up being an all-inclusive fete that started ridiculously late, provide terrible food with drink service that ended before the event. With so much potential this particular event was just not planned well or some said just had a lot of bad luck. So is this a Miami carnival fete must-attend or not? If I was to solely judge on this one event I would say Citrus should be a hard pass however in the past has been better and that is the only reason it’s getting the rating but I’m giving it. But it is up for consideration in the future maybe.

Rating: 2.5/5
Final Verdict: Miss

Soca Brainwash

Saturday, October 9th | 3 -10 pm
Seaquarium
Drink Inclusive – $113 (includes parking)
Dreams Themed – Sleepwear

Normally I would have high hope for soca brainwash however I’ve been to several SBW fetes in different cities and have come to learn what to expect how someone in my group adamantly wanted to attend so here we are. I appreciate SBW for having a parking pass option included during purchase and announcing with enough notice that they will have a delay in the start time. This SBW was drink-inclusive, came with cute souvenir cups, had 3 photo sections and simple decor which left me underwhelmed. Nothing really stood out to me this year. The music and performances were nice, I didn’t get a chance to visit the food station, again the drink service ended well before the fete. It was a good time for a Miami carnival fete.

Rating: 3.5/5
Final Verdict: Miss if in the states, Hit if abroad

SSS Blue J'ouvert

Monday, October 11th | 10a – 6pm
Opa Locka
Cooler – $76
Anything you don’t mind getting paint on

Last up on my 2021 Miami Carnival fete review, SSS Blue, a j’ouvert cooler fete that takes place the Monday after carnival. This was one fete that I continuously heard was a must-attend no matter what and now I understand why. My friends wanted to arrive early and stay late so we arrived relatively on time, paid the $20 for parking, went through security, and as soon as we entered the location we got splashed with paint. That for me sent the tone for what type of fete SSS Blue was about to be and I was pleasantly surprised. So I’m warning you guys now before you cross security make sure your baby oil or glycerin is on and handy for reapplication and all your valuables are fully protected. I was unaware of what was able to happen and still had my phone in hand as I was putting it in a waterproof case so some blue paint did get into my phone but I’m not mad about it because I just knew I was about to have some fun. Another note, whatever blue paint SSS uses….baby it lasts for days so again bring extra baby oil, glycerin whatever to help the paint come off a little bit easier. I’ll be prepared to just soak in an oil bubble bath for hours and hours.

Have you ever attended a J’ouvert or paint fete and there was no paint, powder, mud, or water, and most of all you came out looking clean? Like you didn’t even go to j’ouvert and you liked that? Well, let’s just say SSS Blue won’t be for you. The purpose of this cooler fete is to ensure that every single person gets a little blue while having fun and I can say the mission was accomplished. I did have a minor issue because we didn’t know we needed to bring our own containers for paint however that was quickly forgotten because I still ended up covered in blue paint from head to toe. As time went on the water truck came in hand to help clean off some paint residue towards the end of the fete, I would suggest having towels, trashbags/shower curtain, and clean clothes with you or in the car to get clean-ish.

SSS blue started on time, came with the vibes as soon as we entered even though there were maybe 20 people there when we arrived and ended with hundreds of people. Music was on point playing straight soca only from start to end with consistent hype, no starting and stopping. the space was sizable, the layout was nice, plus it’s a cooler fete and simple and I have to even mention that the bartenders were nice literally. We left on a high with paint in places I didn’t even consider, blue-rimmed cuticles, water-filled shoes and blue powdered locs. SSS Blue J’ouvert fete was by far my favorite fete of my Miami carnival experience this year and would 100% recommend it to anyone else.

Rating: 4.5/5
Final Verdict: HIT!

And that was my 2021 fete schedule & Miami carnival fete review. When all is said and done, I would probably only recommend 1-2 of my fetes. From other feedback, I’m hoping to hit Entice, Medz, Phat Fish, and Viva my next Miami Carnival.

If you hit any of the same fetes during Miami Carnival 2021 leave a review and drop it in the comments below. Or let me know below what your favorite fete from this year.

Shop Carnival Essentials

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