"We Ready Fi Di Road!" #CropOver2017

You want to learn about Crop Over ay? Well you came to the right place. My goal is that you’ll be fully versed in all things Crop Over by the end of this post. Now let’s begin

What is Crop Over?

The tale of Crop Over is an interesting one. It originally started back in the 1700s as a celebration for the slaves signaling the end of the yearly sugar cane harvest. The tradition blossomed into what we know today as Barbados’ biggest national festival. Crop Over is a two-month long festival; and the climax of the festival is Kadooment Day where costume bands fill the street with music, dancing, food, and excitement.

Planning

Flights and Hotels
Once you book your flight and hotel, you know the trip is really happening lol. Flights to Barbados around the time of Crop Over are expensive. The earlier you purchase your flight, the better. You could save a few $100 dollars by booking well in advance. Next, you’ll need somewhere to stay. Airbnb is a great alternative to hotels. I found a great Airbnb at a golf club resort. It was a cute little studio apartment that was clean, with great amenities, and conveniently located.

There is no need to spend an arm and a leg on hotels when you’ll barely spend any time there. There is a lot to do daily during Crop Over. But of course, it ain’t tricking if you got it! Go for what works with your budget. Speaking of money, most places do accept USD although I recommend converting some of your money to the Barbados dollar.

Travel Tips/Travel Hacks

Tip in USD. It is twice the Barbados dollar and the recipient will greatly appreciate it.

Costumes! (If you intend to play mas)

"Playing mas " is the name given to the fun activity of dressing in costumes and parading down the road/parkway. If you're playing mas, you're considered a masquerader or reveler. You must join a band to play mas. A band is the person/group that designs/creates the costumes. There are a variety of bands to choose from to play mas. It’s important to look out for when a band has their band launch—when a band showcases its costumes for a carnival. Band launches typically happen 6 months before carnival and are within weeks of each other. It's your job to look through costumes of popular bands and pick the costume that works best for you. Each costume in a band is considered a section. There are 3-4 main styles of costumes in each section, backline, midline, frontline, and individual. Backline (which is least elaborate) to the frontline/individual (which is the most elaborate). Individual is the only costume of its kind. If you buy the individual costume, you will be the ONLY person in that costume making it a very exclusive costume to have. It's also happens to be the most expensive. Many sections do have a male option. So, guys don’t you worry, you’re able to play mas too.

Here is an example of the costumes ranging from backline to frontline. Try to guess which costume is for which position.

Costumes tend to go fast so once you decide on the one you want it’s imperative to register to be a part of the band/section. In the registration process, you will give all your measurements and make a deposit for your costume. You’ll pick up your costume in Barbados at the band house of the band you choose. I played mas with Krave The Band. Krave has some of the best costume selection!

Fetes!

Part of the carnival experience is the feteing. A fete is another name for party. There are fetes leading up to the day on the road (Kadooment) as well as after. I was fortunate enough to have friends that are veteran Crop Over goers that knew all the hot spots and must attend fetes. I also came across a list from Global Carnivalist that was worthy. Check it out Fete List: Where to Fete for Crop Over 2017. I recommend getting your fete tickets online prior to arriving so that 1) you don’t have to worry about cutting into your spending money 2) the increase chances of tickets selling out and 3) tickets can be more expensive at the door.

Elevate
This was a night fete on the beach. Ticket price included a premium open bar. For an additional fee, you can get dinner— it was well worth it. I briefly lost my earring, I sweated my hair out, and left drenched from all the turn up which just goes to show how much fun it was!

Soca Brainwash Cooler Fete
If you ever see this fete being advertised anywhere, I need you to understand that it’s bound to be a great time! The cooler fete is hosted by DJ Private Ryan, the music is on point, and the food was amazing! For those of you who are unfamiliar with what a cooler fete is, a cooler fete is a party where you literally bring a cooler with your liquor and drinks and party outside.

The fete was so good that it started to pouring rain and no one budged. We all continued partying in the rain.

I tried bake and shark for the first time!

Work Out

We all want to look good in our itsy-bitsy costumes giving us added incentive to exercise. But, honestly exercise is a good practice for the body in general, and should definitely be incorporated in one’s daily routine. It’s also a fantastic way to build stamina for all the wukin up that takes place on the road.

Make Sure Your Waistline is Well Oiled (Guys and Girls alike)           

Now we all know that dancing is a major part of carnival. Some songs will have dances to them so it’s wise to familiarize yourself with the latest soca and dancehall chunes (music) before going. DJ Private Ryan is a pioneer in the Caribbean music scene. Listening to his mixes will definitely have you prepared. If all else fails, hit them with a nice likkle (little) whine. Make sure that you practice wukin up yuh waist. No one wants to see any stiff waistlines.

Go with Someone Who Is Fun and Open Minded                                       

Carnival is all about having fun, kicking back, and enjoying yourself. Make sure whoever you decide to experience it with has that same mind set. There is a lot of partying and not much sleeping making it important to go with someone who is up for the challenge. You’re in another country and you will need to be able to adapt to change and go with the flow. There is nothing worse than going on vacation with someone who complains the whole time or not up for doing the things you want to do.

Travel Tips/Travel Hacks

It is always helpful to have a general idea of what you and your travel buddy want to do before you arrive that way things could run more smoothly.

What to Expect on Road:            

So now you’ve learned some planning tips and tricks. Let’s get into what to expect on the road. This is my experience as a masquerader. I’m sure it is a totally different experience compared to someone who isn’t playing mas. First and foremost, expect it to be hot! Lol. The day will start bright and early. All bands meet at the stadium before heading to the road. The stadium is where judgment takes place and the Band of The Year is chosen. Judgment is when each band showcases their costume designs. You and everyone in your section line up and give the judges a show while showing off the costume. This process is called crossing the stage. It’s so much fun and the energy is too real! Once your band goes through jugement, yuh ready fi di roadddddddd! You’ll be walking/dancing the route for about 3-4 hours depending on how traffic is moving so brace yourself. The people from the community watch as you parade down the street. I would presume that each bands offers different things. My band, Krave The Band, offered breakfast and dinner. They have liquor trucks and bathroom trucks on the road. There were people passing through making sure your cup was never empty and also handing out food. However, the food is a lot harder to come by. As soon as you saw someone passing food, it was finished in the blink of an eye. The next day Krave hosted a cool down fete and all Krave masqueraders were granted free entry.

Once road is done and the route has come to an end, there is a street fair that you can continue to party and/or buy trinkets. You will pass the Mount Gay distillery as well.

Travel Tips/Travel Hacks

You're playing mas, bring a little satchel or purse to carry important items. You should ALWAYS have an I.D. on you and cash at hand.

Comfortable Shoes/Shades/Sunscreen    

Bear in mind that you will be in the sun for hours and you will be walking and dancing for most of them. I can’t express enough how important comfortable shoes are. Sunscreen is also a must! That Bajan sun is hot! Sun shades is a good thing to carry or a cap.

Stay Hydrated

Water MUST remain in your diet! It's burning hot and a lot of alcohol consumption. Make sure you're drinking water in between drinks to keep hydrated throughout the day.

Finishing Touches:

Make Time for The Beach

You’re going to want some turn down after all that turn up, and there is no better place to achieve this than the beach. The beaches in Barbados are top 5 for sure. It would truly be a shame to go all the way there and not experience it.

Be Safe and Have Fun!

Safety is extremely important! Be mindful of your surroundings and don’t take any unnecessary risk or chances. However, do make sure to have fun! I mean it’s carnival, how could you not!