Rundown of Jamaica Carnival 2019
/Things to know:
· Try to listen to as many Dancehall and Soca songs as you can so you’re up to date and can jam down when any song is thrown your way.
· ALWAYS bring snacks with you to cooler fetes. Some will provide food or have food for purchase but it’s always a good idea to bring something just in case.
· Find the band and costume you want ASAP and get in yuh section!
· Buy your fete tickets before even leaving the country.
· Bring clothes you don’t care about for jouvert. This includes sneakers. Don’t forget items to protect your hair and bandana to cover your nose and mouth.
· Make sure you read your ticket details for start/end times, location, and restrictions.
· If you're ever at a fete and the DJ asks the crowd “do you have a water bottle?” or “Are you all staying hydrated?”, be fully prepared to experience showers as water starts to fling across the air. There is a song called “Wet It Up” and that is typically the introduction before they begin to play it. This gives you some time to brace yourself.
· Lastly, hydrate. ALWAYS hydrate.
Memories
Soca Brain Wash
One of the staples of carnival is Soca Brainwash. This fete is bare vibes! The best part of this fete is that everyone comes ready to dance and have a good time. Witness the magic below.
This is the song I told you about early on in the post. Here is the visual.
I Love Soca
I love Soca JA is a cooler fete held in a stadium. This fete had great photo opps and Instagramable moments.
The highlight was the king of soca himself, Machel Montano, performance which you can see below!
Xaymaca
Year number 2 and Xaymaca is still the band to play/jump with! The costumes are still beautiful, the service is still great, the staff is still friendly, and the amenities on road are still some of the best I’ve seen. Quality meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner are still some of the perks of jumping with Xaymaca. They still have a premium open bar on road which includes White Hennessy (my personal fav). As the years go by, costumes are even higher in demand and sell out quickly. Always keep an eye out for their band launch which happens around November. Once you find a costume you’re interested in, keep it in mind that way you can register for it the moment sales open. Again, Jamaica carnival does not have judging (all masqueraders walk across stage in their section (people in the same costume as you) in front of the judges to showcase their costume.) As soon as you touch road, the party begins. The beauty of no judging is that you and your friends do not have to have matching costumes. You can pick what you like and still be together on the road.
Xaymaca Beach Lime
You’re going to need to wind down after the week-long feteing and road experience. The best way to do that is at the Xaymaca Beach Lime. Everyone heads to the beach with their coolers for the final hoorah. The best part is the party is free of charge to those who jumped with Xaymaca. The beach lime is filled with top DJs and performances by popular Soca, Dancehall, and Reggae artist. This year we were pleasantly surprised by the appearance of Bounty Killer performing some of his top hits.
Ding Dong
Bounty Killer
Various Soca artists performing.
Medz
This fete is an all-inclusive breakfast cooler fete. This cooler fete was held at the Grand Port Royal Hotel Marina & Spa so beach attire is highly recommended. Something we didn’t know, and found out upon arrival, was that the only liquor you can bring into the event in its original bottle is champagne. All other liquor must be put into plastic bottles.
Bob Marley Museum
If you have some free time in between all the turn up, the Bob Marley Museum is worth the visit. The museum is located at the last house Bob Marley lived in before he died. The 1.5 hour guided tour makes you privy to where he wrote and record some of his songs, his accolades, his family, and the very room of his attempted assassination. One of the best parts of the tour was going to the studio and singing some of his classics with the tour group. It was almost chilling to know that decades ago that was the very same room he recorded those hit songs.
There is an ital café serving some of Bob’s favorite recipes. I tried the War smoothie and the Get Up Stan’Up smoothie. Both were delicious!
Meals
Two noteworthy places you should try while there are Footprints Café and Truck Stop.
Footprints Cafe
This café has a nice vibe for food and drinks especially if you’re looking for food late night. It stays open relatively late but the wait for food takes long after 10 o’clock.
Truck Stop
This restaurant has a laid-back vibe with music playing and is mostly outdoor dining. Here you can find delicious local cuisine. The jerk pork was everything!
