LargeUp TV: Mas Band Jump Up at Dominica’s World Creole Music Festival

Words and Photo by Jesse Serwer, Video by Martei Korley—

The World Creole Music Festival is one of the major annual events on Dominica’s cultural calendar, bringing acts from across the Caribbean (and sometimes Africa, Latin America and even Louisiana) to the island of 75,000 for three nights of live performances. The 16th edition of the festival, held at the Windsor Park cricket stadium in Roseau on Oct. 26-28, featured Haiti’s T-Vice, Kreyola and Disip Gazzman and Jamaica’s Tarrus Riley and Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, among other international acts. Dominican mainstays Midnight Groovers, Ophelia Marie, Grammacks and upstarts Asa Banton, Michele Henderson and Triple K also performed. LargeUp was there for all three nights: see our dynamic photo essays from the festival here and here.

One of the highlights of the fest came offstage, on the final night, as crowds got a taste of Mas Dominik, as Dominica’s February carnival is known. A mas band of bwa bwa (stiltwalkers), lapo kabwit (drummers) and folks in sensay wear (traditional costumes made of frayed cloth) mixed it up with festivalgoers who were more than ready to participate as well. Watch the action unfold in the video below.

A mas band jump up breaks out amidst Dominica’s 16th annual World Creole Music Festival.
Video By: Martei Korley