(Just adding content to my blog, this is an old review of last year carnival)

This year Miami Carnival has certainly been different, from the costume collection down to the weather.  Last year after a dismal stage crossing with Party People, I still decided to give them another chance this year and I played with them again, only of course to face another dismal crossing of the stage. I understand all revelers want to cross the stage, but when you have people that pay extra money to have a more elaborate costume and play in Frontline, them should have been given their one or two minutes of shine. Not also give them their shine, but also to display the beauty of the costume since it is more elaborate than the others and let the costume be judged for its beauty. From the time we got into the staging area, I took it upon myself to gather up the few FL’ers but alas we were bum-rushed and got shoved on the stage together. Personally, I felt that the organizers should have given the DJ that was reading the sections a list telling him who to call first and who not to call. Even that was chaos because we were changing sections close to the judging point….Seriously.

But it looks like I am getting ahead of myself…Let me back it up to costume distribution. Initially I was told that costume distribution would have been the Friday, but like I said, I have had a rapport with Party People from last year and I knew better than that. So I got a message the Thursday saying that my costume won’t be ready not until Saturday but my husband’s own was ready for pickup as well as the backline’s. Ok no problem, got to the mas camp which wasn’t too far from my home to pick up my husband’s costume, everything look intact until I got home and noticed on their website they showcased a yellow pants for his costume only to find a teal pants in the bag.  At this point, I am shaking my head, so I called a committee member who confirms the pants is indeed teal and not yellow…smh…if you make changes you should let people be aware of that before-hand, because my husband was close to buying yellow shoes to match his pants and just didn’t have the time…what if he did?  Steups!!

Now fast forward to after 12 the next day when I should have collected my costume, called the committee member to see if they were ready for me, and of course as expected they were not ready for me. Took it upon myself after being promised a call to go to the mas camp. So around 2:00 pm we went to the mas camp only to end up helping them make costumes and finish decorating some bras. We left the mas camp around 11:30pm with my unfinished back-pack. The designer had already bend the wire but he also had to finish other backpacks because somehow all front-liners costumes were done last. You would think that the people who paid the most money would have been taken care of first. So anyway, my husband and I took the feathers that were given to us and we went home to do my backpack, which we finished off in the morning after making a quick run to Walmart to get some braiding.

Come Carnival Sunday we got out there at 11:30 for the 12 noon start since we were the first band, we didn’t get to cross the stage not until after 4 (crossing the stage experience has already been discussed, lol). So we will talk about the music on the road. Now everyone that knows me, know I like my carnival and soca and I truly believe that I have more soca music than the dj’s that were on the music truck and I should have handed them my phone to play instead of the shite music they were playing. Miami Carnival is an international carnival; therefore all island music should have been played and not no 90% trini soca and then the rest of the islands. I heard Pressure Boom once (how old is this song again)…I can count the amount of new bajan songs (4 of them) that I heard, 2 vincy and how much old old music…

When “It’s Carnival” by Destra came out it was de tune, this song needs to be put in the soca vault, there is way too much new music out there…Why I am still hearing 2005 music is beyond me (“Dead or alive” by Shurwayne Winchester)…I have gone up to some dj’s and told them why don’t they play no small island music and some have said they can’t find it, yet still my husband and I are no dj’s and we have all the island music without no taglines in them, so how comes I can find it and they can’t?????

Personally, I think Party People International has the potential to be a great band and have less angry revelers and trust me there were plenty angry revelers…the finger food that they served on the road should not have included the mayo (not everyone can eat mayo) but the walking around to serve people instead of them rushing to get it was a nice touch and I really must compliment them on that and also the fresh cold fruits that was very good. The actual food at the end of the crossing of the stage could have been better, cole slaw should not be an option carnival day at all, again not everyone can do mayo, the rice portions were good but some of it was cooked and some wasn’t. Again all that can be fixed up for next year!! The drinks truck team was pretty good although there could have been a better selection of drinks. I was drinking orange juice and some bajan rum that my husband had in his bag (why did we have to bring our own rum, is beyond me, but after last years’ experience, we knew to come ready with our own rum). I am willing to give them a try next year if they fix their  organization because despite  it all I did have a pretty good time on the road but at the end of the day revelers spend their money and they do not like to be taken for a fool. Personally I think the whole Miami-Broward Carnival need to fix their organization. Miami Carnival is one of the biggest international carnival and have so much potential if the right people takes it in the direction that it should go and not let it be about money or greed but more about our culture!

 

P.S. I wanted to be fair to give them another review to see if things have improved, but they are not coming out for Miami Carnival 2012, maybe next year! Good Luck to them none-the-less!