Carnival Season
Set To Be Lit!
Story and Photos by Stan Bishop
Now held smack in the middle of
the year for the past two decades,
Saint Lucia Carnival is probably the
most anticipated festival on the
island’s events calendar. Of course,
Christmas, Independence and Creole
Heritage Month seasons mean
much, no doubt. But a bacchanal
season in summer offers up so many
possibilities.
Edgy calypsos. Pulsating socas. Foot-
tapping steel pan music. National
and community pageants and
competitions. Colourful costumes
and frenzied revelers who throw
inhibitions to the sun. The endless
fetes and boat rides. The food,
drinks, and mizzy hangovers. And
then the final two-day shebang – the
Parade of the Bands in the city on
July 15 and 16!
Obvious personal bias aside, Saint
Lucia Carnival has to be among the
top five in the Caribbean and one
of the best in the world. At least,
that’s the feedback from even the
thousands of satisfied revelers from
various countries around the world
who descend on Saint Lucia to play
mas each year.
This year, expect no less, as
preparations are being ramped
up for the festival yet again. On
Saturday, May 25, Saint Lucia
Carnival was officially launched in
Saint Lucia, following a media blitz
a day before in Trinidad where local
officials spent that Friday beating
the radio, newspaper and television
circuit to promote Saint Lucia
Carnival.
While feedback from the local
launch has been a mixed bag, as
per usual, patrons who did show
up at the Sab Facility at Vigie
did get some enticing samplings
of costumes, calypsos, socas,
and some sights to behold and
sound-bytes to chew on from
the stunning contestants in
this year’s national and
community pageants.
Here’s some indication as
to how this year’s season
is shaping up: costumes
for some of the sections
from the nineteen Carnival
bands registered this year
were sold out months
ago! As for the National
Carnival Queen Pageant,
the electrifying eight
contestants are already
being given the royal
treatment in anticipation
of what is poised to be
the best year for the
pageant in years. And,
oh, saving the best for,
uh, omega, former Road
March King and multiple
soca crown winner,
Alpha, is back after a five-
year hiatus. Talk about
high expectations!
This Carnival season is set to be lit.
I just hope we can handle the heat
because the thermometers certainly
can’t.
www.slyoumag.com | July-August 2019
SL-YOU | Business, People & Lifestyle 77