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Complete 2021 Miami Carnival Review: The Return of Carnival

miami-carnival-review

PHOTO COURTESY | Bash Visual

***Travel Disclaimer: This post in no way is an encouragement to travel or not travel but rather just personal experience for informational purposes. For those who chose to travel, I highly recommend doing personal research and checking your local government’s latest restrictions & regulations regarding COVID-19.

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After a year-long absence of carnivals worldwide it was announced by the Miami Carnival Committee that Miami Carnival will indeed be taking place this year during Columbus day weekend. So it was no surprise that this year Miami welcomed a crowd that was double maybe even triple the norm of carnival previous years.

Keep on reading for my honest and complete 2021 Miami Carnival review.

Travel to where you want to go: hide

1 Miami Carnival 2021

4 Where to Stay

5 Transportation

9 Budget Breakdown

10 While in Town

11 Shop Carnival Essentials

Miami Carnival 2021

Let’s start this Miami carnival review by answering the question of when carnival took place. Miami Carnival takes place annually in October during Columbus Day Weekend unless otherwise noted. With official events taking place at the Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition Grounds.

Official Events include:

Panorama: Friday, October 8th, 2021 | 5-11pm
J’ouvert: Saturday, October 9th, 2021 | 7am – 3pm
Parade & Concert: October 10th, 2021 | 11a – 11pm

Those wanting to watch but not participate in the carnival can buy tickets and those looking for more information here.

Due to Covid19, this year also included safety requirements that everyone attending an official event had to adhere to.

All attendees, both vaccinated and non-vaccinated, were required to provide a negative PCR test no earlier than October 6th, 2021. Luckily most Bands were providing onsite testing.
All attendees are required to wear masks throughout the events.
temperature checks may be randomly taken and personal-sized hand sanitizer distributed to guests.

Band Launch

Next up on my Miami Carnival review the band launch which left a bad taste in my mouth.

This year with the “will or won’t” they, most bands launched late May into early August. And with the increased numbers of attendees, a lot of the costumes sold out within 1-2 weeks of release. This year my group and I opted to be on the road with Revel Nation Carnival.

Band prices included:

The band (music, trucks, security, etc)
Costume of your selection
Mug
Drinks & mixers (not always t top shelf)
Meal & snack
Entrance
And sometimes more

As bands launched I was upset to see that it was clear that many of the Miami bands clearly did not seem to support full-figure masqueraders in their costume collections. With many options only going up to XL if you were lucky, a great portion of attendees were left out in selection options as well as photo representation. If you were lucky, some bands offered add-ons or customizations for additional fees of course. If you weren’t lucky, you may have had to go with a band or section that was your first, second, or even third choice. I was semi-lucky I guess, my costume came in a size that I could manage with an add-on option however I did not know 100% what my costume would look like until pick up. I also don’t believe the extra fee I was charged was actually worth the money after finally seeing my costume in person. But I made it work.

I will note, however, when picking up my costume all the ladies checking costumes were nice, understood, and tried their best to be accommodating especially after seeing I just didn’t even care to complain. They also informed me that if I ever play mas with them again, feel free to ask all questions as they try their best to answer any questions if possible.

But honestly, I was so over Miami costumes back in July and already had the mindset “it is what it is”. Terrible I know, but with the lack of options I was seeing across the board I just let my friends select the band & section, I didn’t care as long as I was on the road.

PHOTO COURTESY | Revel Nation

We ended up with Revel Nation Pandora theme in the Eyaye section.

Arrival

We arrived the Thursday before carnival, with PCR test results in hand and ready to party. We had enough time to check in to out hotel, grab our rental car, pick up both our J’ouvert and mas wear and dinner all before our first fete!

Where to Stay

With events happening all through Fort Lauderdale and Miami proper along with event locations not being released onto closer to the carnival dates it can be hard figuring out where to stay. We were renting a car so that gave us a little freedom in where we could stay and knew the parade takes place at the Miami-Dade Fairgrounds along with past event locations and used those as starting point.

With that said, I would suggest the following areas:

And suggest the following hotels:

Nation Hotel Miami
Courtyard Miami
Hilton Miami Downtown
Hotel Indigo
Kimpton EPIC
Dalmar
AC Hotel Miami
Hello Dello

VIEW FLL HOTELS | VIEW MIAMI HOTELS | VIEW RENTALS

Transportation

Living in the USA Miami carnival is one of the most accessible carnivals to attend.

Living on the East Coast I was able to take a nice short direct flight for just under $200 into Fort Lauderdale (FLL) or I could have flown into Miami (MIA).

For this carnival, my friends and I rented a car for local transportation but we also kept in mind the option for rideshare and the carnival bus system just in case we needed. For us, a rental car was the best option because we were able to share the rental/gas/parking cost, rotate drivers, could arrive and leave when we wanted while also saving a little money avoiding the price hikes of the rideshares.

Fetes

This season around we kept the fete schedule very lite attending Tribe Ignite, Citrus, Soca Brainwash SSS Blue J’ouvert cooler fete. Catch my 2021 Miami Carnival Fete Review here.

J'ouvert

Continuing with my Miami carnival review, J’ouvert with Red Antz was great with most things being on point. The main minus for me again was the limited size options for curvy and plus size but again I saw a lot of beautiful women who made it work.

Pick-up went smoothly, probably the best I’ve ever seen. I literally had to compliment the person who helped us. The only thing I would recommend would be completely separate lines for those picking up J’ouvert, costumes, and most both packages. I would maybe even suggest a new pickup location that’s indoors, has air conditioning, accessible bathrooms, and better parking.

Red Antz J’ouvert package included:

Truck (security, music, etc)
Selected shirt or bodysuit
Mug
Drinks & mixer (it was not top shelf)
Breakfast & snacks
mask
rug
whistle
waterproof phone case
paint & powder
Entrance
and sometimes more

J’ouvert was held at Miami-Dade Fairgrounds on October 9th from 7-3 pm. Arriving on site was easy, parking was free, entry was seamless. After finding the Red Antz truck we turned in our ticket for breakfast and snack with was more than expected and very good. Corn Soup, bun, chips, roll, and more that was nicely packaged per person. The truck was ready with music, drinks, paint, and powder for anyone who wanted. We got on the road and for the most part, it was great. We had paint & powder, I could do with more though, the vibe was there, easy getting your food, and we actually got to drink. But if I could make the day better I would have loved music flow consistency, the continued pausing stalled the vibes at times. The drink options were very limited and with only one drink truck attempting to get drinks got harder and harder as more people arrived. I would suggest bringing a hydration pack as a backup for when the trucks are packed.

SHOP MY J’OUVERT ESSENTIALS

Playing Mas

Unfortunately, carnival day came around and so did a migraine about one hour before we headed out of the hotel. I normally like to head out late to miss the waiting game but when traveling with a group the majority wins. Lol. We arrived just in time to melt in the heat while waiting for all the bands to get on the road. When we arrived, my friends hit the alternations truck, I hit the drink truck but my migraine was winning out and wasn’t able to grab any photos. I know who does that.

I’m not sure what it is about Miami carnival this year, but after finally getting on the road around 1 pm the music inconsistency was stalling the vibe. One minute the music is great the next the DJ is taking a break or switching out…I didn’t understand. On top of Revel Nation having only had one drink truck, serving only on one side, not serving anytime the truck was moving and ending drink service around 8p We crossed the stage around 9p and I was able to get a total of 3 drinks. There were several times we would go to the truck and security would stop drink service. However, security somehow wasn’t able to monitor stormers and other bands somehow making it in and out of our band. The number of times I turned around and realized I had danced with a non-masquerader or a masquerader from a completely different band…I lost count.

Outside of who I was jumping with, Miami Carnival can last the entire day depending on some personal factors along with what number your band is in line out of about 17 bands who have to cross the stage. This year the last band crossed the stage just before midnight so be prepared. My group wanted to arrive on time for carnival which for us was around 11 am, our Revel Nation crossed the stage around 9p, and members in my crossed wanted to stay for the concert which ended a little after midnight plus add on the time needed to find your car or call your rideshare and traffic just getting out of the fairgrounds. If you were someone like me who came with a migrain and didn’t have an amazing time you probably were on your feet all day and felt like you worked a double. Knowing what I know now I would have taken my time in the morning, taken photos at the hotel rooftop, arrived closer to 4 pm departing around 11 pm. So what is my suggestion for tackling Miami Carnival? Figure out what’s important to you and plan accordingly unless you love being at carnival that long. If you want to attend the concert at the end I would suggest coming just a few hours before your band crosses. If you don’t mind missing the concert and just care about crossing the stage, plan for that. If you want amazing pictures take some fore leaving your hotel and the rest at the fairground. If you want professional photos try to secure a photographer not hired by a band so you have flexibility regarding location and time. And if you’re traveling with a group, discuss beforehand expectations for arrival and departure or your review may end up like my Miami carnival review. But as always, do what works for you.

SHOP MY MAS ESSENTIALS

Budget Breakdown

Attending any carnival can be an investment especially now coming out of a pandemic that has caused inflation in all industries. And this carnival was no different as there were increases to everything from fetes, to costumes to hotels. So I knew this Miami Carnival review would be incomplete without a rough budget breakdown on what to expect when planning, budgeting, and saving for carnival. I always also recommend having your budget on the higher side to account for any incidentals or line items I don’t note like makeup, hair, nail appointments, or outfits you may want as well.

Flight: $198 (direct RT flight including luggage)

Car Rental: $180 (my shared portion + employee perk discount code + gas)

Accommodation: $325 (my shared portion…our hotel had free parking so no additional cost there)

Fetes: $430 (4 fetes & parking)

Red Antz J’ouvert: $110

Revel Nation Carnival: $750

Misc.: $150 (consider food, drinks, and minor things you may purchase during your trip)

While in Town

Just because you are in town for carnival doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t explore the city you’re visiting as well and wanted to include that in my Miami carnival review as well. If you’re coming in early or heading out late check out some of the below:

EAT & DRINK

Lubin’s Classic Bakery
Jaxson’s Ice Cream
Joy’s Roti Delight
Shooters
Crabman 305
Ginger Bay Cafe
Tropical Twist

PLACES TO VISIT

Hit the Beach
Museum
Roam a neighborhood

THINGS TO DO

I wouldn’t say that this carnival experience was my best carnival ever however after a year-long absence it was quiet and experience. People came in full force and the vibe was unique. Being able to come together as a community to celebrate the history of carnival and commune with fellow revelers was definitely a missed experience that I’m glad I did not pass up. Will I be attending Miami Carnival anytime soon? Probably not in the coming years but never say never.

If you attended the 2021 Miami Carnival let me know below by leaving your Miami carnival review. If you’re interested in attending the carnival next year, let me know that too.

Shop Carnival Essentials

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