Trinidad Carnival 2019 Review:
I felt right at home in Trinidad at my first Trinidad Carnival Experience and had the time of my life! “The Mother of all West Indian Carnivals” as some may refer to it, left me with sunkissed skin, danced out feet, and experience, unlike anything I’ve ever attended. For me, I started my Trinidad Carnival 2019 season on February 28 – March 10, 2019, ending in Tobago! Soca beats seemed to fill the streets daily as steel pans closed out events nightly with drinks flowing endlessly all while enjoying the road with Yuma Vibe. I can’t believe carnival ended as quickly as it did and I’m counting down to next year already. But for now let’s gist on all things from fetes to masquerade and J’ouvert bands to boat rides, cooler fetes, and all-inclusive parties. Catch all my thoughts below on it all.
Fetes/
There is no shortage of fetes that take place during Trinidad Carnival season. With fete and beach hopping from sunup to sundown your hardest choice is deciding which one to attend and what to wear. Find my thoughts below about some of my favorite fetes.
My first fete of the Trinidad carnival 2019 season was Tribe Ignite just hours after getting off the plane. And let me tell you! It did not disappoint at all and was the best way to start my time in Trinidad. By the time we arrived the vibe was already in motion. I quickly dashed to the bar before the music pulled me in. Wining til early morning.
photo courtesy of @machelmontano
The next day we hopped on a boat-ride day party with Bright Colours that turned into a sunset boat party. The boats did arrive and pull off late which gave late guests time to arrive and hungry people time to grab some last minute food. But when we finally got sailing it was great. The DJ came in strong to make up for the lost time and we partied until the sun when down. Note that this boat-ride is a cooler fete meaning you bring your own bottles to enjoy (no glass bottles).
Now, for one of the must-attend fetes any year every location and especially for Trinidad carnival 2019 was Soca Brainwash. This year Soca Brainwash took on a 70s theme: Peace, Love, Harmony and Soca and all I can say was WOW!
photo courtesy of @djprivateryan
The theme encouraged guests to visit the past and release their creativity. Bringing in partygoers dressed in colourful outfits, women in formation honouring the Black Panther Movement and of course flower power that matched the venue. From the venue to the theme execution, food station and music, I understand why Brainwash is a carnival fan favourite that sold out in hours. Besides the Hennessey bar, the set up was my favourite because there was a section for everyone. Multiple bar stations with no wait, food zone, wining up front by the stages, lounge area, photos and more and more. And because the party never really ends, the pan section carried us out all the way down.
photo courtesy of @ZUMBAMAAT
J’ouvert/
photo courtesy of JumBeez
I’ve always heard so much about J’ouvert with everyone telling me it was a must! I went for it because I knew I had to experience it at least once. I enjoyed J’ouvert morning with the HIVE. Though a late start, J’ouvert Jumbeez provided a J’ouvert experience that was AMAZING, to say the least. The pre-party set the tone for the road woke us up and allowed the latecomers to arrive. As music blasted at 2 am we grabbed drinks, paint, and mud as we got ready to hit the road. The road experience was great because it didn’t cross any of the normally congested streets, people were friendly and the paint color as we cross the socadrome stage. Sadly, I decided to skip out on the after-party to get clean and ready for Monday carnival with the rest of my group but I’m sure it was great. I’m thinking I’ll be back again.
Road Experience/
I played with Yuma Vibe whose theme this year was Jukebox…Feel the Vibe. I registered for the Thriller backline section, I wanted to be comfortable with my hands and back free. I paid in full online, my group and I arrived early on the last day of pick up to avoid any type of madness and I was so happy we did it like that. We were in and out of costume pick-up within 15 minutes.
Carnival Monday was crazy! I had just a little bit over one hour to get myself together after J’ouvert, it was truly a mad rush but we made it. Luckily (or not) Yuma was a little late leaving which worked in our favour. Everyone seemed slightly confused but when the trucks started pulling up we were happy and ready to get moving. The rest stop for lunch was good. Massages, foot rubs, mist area and spray deodorant available. We got our food quickly, found a spot for our group and relaxed.
Yuma didn’t have too many stormers that I noticed, at least not until after we crossed the stage where they seemed to start mixing in with the group. It’s hard to spot stormers on Monday because most bands aren’t uniformed so stormers are able to easily blend in. My advice is to ignore the stormers, enjoy yourself and let Yuma security handle them.
Overall, the vibe came in heavy and I was not mad at it at all. The DJs were amazing with great continuous song rotations. My cup was never empty. My waist never failed to find the rhythm. And my friends and I were living in the moment.
During costume review at pickup, we loved that there were extras that weren’t pictured, like getting a little surprise. So when Tuesday Mas finally arrived and we all had on our costumes we were extremely happy and excited. We all looked great repping Yuma across three different sections. Yuma Vibe delivered and we were not disappointed. This was the peak of Trinidad Carnival 2019.
Now for Tuesday we intentionally arrived late since we figured we Yuma would get on the road late and we were right. We arrived right on time. Seeing everyone in there costumes from different bands and sections was a sight to see. Everyone looked like royalty with the sun just glistening on our skin. Tuesday Mas is just a whole different sight and vibe. Everyone is ready to show all the way out! And that we did. And when we crossed that stage…OH MY LORDT..lituation isn’t even the right word.
photo courtesy of @yumavibe
Bonus/
Not exactly part of the carnival but is a carnival tradition…ending your carnival season in Tobago to ‘recover’. Tobago is perfect for cool down, island hopping, roaming nature, and relaxing. If you can, take a few extra days and catch that 20-minute flight over to the sister Island to enjoy another side of the carnival season. It was well worth the flight and the sunsets were breathtaking.
In short, Trinidad Carnival 2019 was beyond A-MAZING!! My carnival squad was lit, the vibes endless, lituation was the name of the game. And I will be back. Start saving those coins now people and start planning! Catch you next year.
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