Carnival Checklist: Vincy Mas, 101

Words by Sulani Roberts

Vincy Mas tends to live up to its title as “The Hottest Carnival in the Caribbean” with a mixture of tradition, innovation and organic social activities. It is all about who you lime with in St. Vincent—that is the big deciding factor on what your experience will be like. Sure, fun can still be had as a complete stranger to this island. However, if you want to really experience the activities that happen around the 12,000-square-kilometer island during Carnival, it’s advised you make some friends. Here’s a rundown of some of the must-experience activities in St. Vincent during Vincy Mas, which officially kicks off this year on June 26th before culminating on July 7th.

Click here to start the Carnival Checklist.

TRADITIONAL CARNIVAL/RURAL CARNIVALS (Various dates)

Many people aren’t aware that St. Vincent has eight separate mini carnivals that happen between late April and early July— six on the main island, and one each in Bequia and Canouan. Each rural carnival is complete with its own J’Ouvert, wet fete, pageant and private events. Some are bigger than others, and can yield crowds of over 3,000 people. The best part of rural carnivals is that most of the events are free, and easy to access by local transport or paid taxi service. The most popular rural carnivals are P’Tani Mas (which launched this year May 8th, and finished on June 13th), St. Georges Carnival (which began May 23rd, and culminated June 7th), Windward Carnival (May 24-June 20), and Bequia Carnival, which launched June 13th and ends June 22nd. These events boast high community spirit and unchecked fun.

FANTASTIC FRIDAY (June 26)

A night of sweet music where the calypsonian semi-finalists compete for the title of Calypso Monarch. While the crowd at Soca Monarch (see below) can be wild and sometimes out of control, Fantastic Friday fosters a more relaxed ambiance, as patrons can sit back and absorb messages of social, political and economic issues communicated by the artistes through their songs.

JUNIOR EVENTS (June 27-30)

Most Vincy Mas events target the legal aged and mature crowd. However, these Junior events ensure that the minors and tiny tots are included in the festivities as well. The day of Junior Carnival, on June 27th, is cuteness overload on the road as kids from the age of two up to about 14 take to the streets of Kingstown in the most adorable costumes. The top primary and secondary school as well as community-based steel bands compete at Victoria Park in the Junior Pan fest, happening this year on June 28th. There’s also a Junior Calypso and Junior Soca Monarch competition on the 30th.

MISS CARIVAL PAGEANT (July 3)
Miss SVG and Miss Carival (that’s Carival, not Carnival) are the two important beauty pageants that take place during the Vincy Mas season. DeYonte Mayers, the winner of Miss SVG, held this year on May 30th, competes against beauty queens from around the region in the Miss Carival show, which is usually hosted in carnival city, Victoria Park.

STEEL & GLITTER (July 2)
Steel & Glitter—aka Panorama— is the Soca Monarch of Steel Pan. It is the final event where winners of all pan competitions compete on the big stage at carnival city. This event is great for music lovers and individuals just looking to hear great music and enjoy awesome live band performances.

SOCA MONARCH (July 4)
This is an event that MUST NOT be missed! Soca Monarch is the most anticipated carnival show. On the night of July 4th, after the pump all season long, St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ best artists take the stage at Carnival City to compete against each other for the Soca Monarch crown. Performances are engineered to include clever and creative props, and dance routines designed to excite and amaze the audience. Soca fans are very serious about this competition and will go all out to support their artistes. Heated rivalry will ensue until the Soca Monarch winner is declared.

After more than a month of warm-up events and buildup, Vincy Mas finally reaches its climax on Carnival Monday and Tuesday, with the following climactic events.

J’OUVERT STREET PARTY (July 6)
J’Ouvert includes the actual J’Ouvert street party, which begins at in the wee dark hours of the morning where people fete on in paint and powder, and the J’Ouvert Old Mas competition where individuals dress up or arrange themselves using props to spoof social and national issues.

EVENING STREET PARTY ( July 6)
After J’ouvert, the plan is usually to head home, wash off, eat up and head back into town to join the Parade of the T-shirt Bands, for another turn around the town. Currently, the most popular t-shirt bands are The Network SVG, the Guinness t-shirt band (these two are known for having the sexiest apparel), Mustique Company and LIME.

MARDI GRAS (July 7)
This is officially the last day and last hurrah of Vincy Mas, the moment everything else has been leading up to. Elaborate, creative and colourful masquerade bands are judged for the Band of the Year title on the grand stage at Victoria Park, after which they take to the streets for one final chip up and down the streets of Kingstown. The day usually culminates in one big lime at Heritage Square or around the corner in “Bankyard” – a bar lime set up on the premises of the CIBC bank.

St. Vincent has some very unique, ‘do not miss’ fetes that have evolved and withstood the test of time and public scrutiny. Competition is high, as promoters try to outdo one another by designing unique events. We recommend you attend as many as you can afford to (they typically run anywhere from $10-$100).

NEON RAVE (June 12)

This event has evolved from its previous incarnation as Black Rave, hosted by local soca star Skinny Fabulous. It was renamed Neon Rave for 2015, to add a bit of color and a different life. This event features the best soca stars both locally and from around the region, with a lineup that this year included included Machel Montano, Olatunji and Angela Hunte (Unfortunately), this one has already passed. The dress code, previously black (obviously), will now be neon.

UNCLE SKINNY KIDS CARNIVAL (June 13)

In a period dominated by adult offerings, Uncle Skinny Kids Carnival brings a refreshing change. Victoria Park is transformed into a wonderland of bouncing castles, water slides, face painting and little booths and displays, culminating with a big concert that usually features the likes of ‘Elmo’ and ‘Dora the Explorer,’ and many young talented kids as well as local artistes.

H20 (June 27)

The mother of all wet fetes, H2O is definitely a “must attend” event for Vincy Mas, and one of the best attended events of the season. The dress code is usually swim wear and shower caps and though some show up comically adorned with beach balls, snorkeling and diving gear, the patrons of H2O do NOT play. When the party is finally over, long after the sun comes up, the ground is littered with wigs, bits of swim wear, broken sunglasses, tattered shoes, ruined phones and sometimes a sleeping fetter (or two, or five). The show features performances from an explosive cast of the best local and regional soca acts.

DIRTY SEXY SOCA (July 1)

One of the cheapest fetes of the season, Dirty Sexy Soca costs only $20 and patrons receive free shots aaalllll night! The show features some of the best DJs in SVG, local and international acts.

BUN WUK (July 1 and 8)

Bun Wuk is usually held in the middle of the week, just before and after the culmination of Vincy Mas. It’s a fete that encourages its patrons to leave (bun) work in favour of rum, fun, good music and a good time.

XCLUSIVITY (July 4)

Imagine being served with premium liquor and gourmet food while turning up to the vibes of a sick DJ as you sail languidly on the seas into the Grenadines. Xclusivity is an all-inclusive party boat ride, usually to the Tobago Cays Marine Park.

SLIPPERY WHEN WET (July 5)
Known as the sexiest all-inclusive beach fete, Slippery When Wet is usually hosted on a private beach on the leeward coast of the island. It begins as an afternoon lime and gradually turns up full blast, as the skies fade to black, with performances from a few local artistes. The guys cool down their dress code with Bermuda shorts and snazzy tops while the women burn it up in the hottest bikinis and tantalizing cover ups.

HERITAGE SQUARE, STREET BARS + THE FRIDAY TRADITION
(Every day from 5:00PM – Until)

The Road is always alive in the capital during Carnival. Kingstown city can, on a whole, be compared to the legendary ‘Avenue’ in Trinidad. Heritage Square is a place to make friends, meet friends, and to have your favourite drink in public, all to the soundscape of numerous sound systems and DJs. It is not all liquid on the streets. If you’re hungry, food is available from local vendors and restaurants surrounding the festivities.

Street bars dominate blocks of curb real estate in Kingstown, offering diversity and options to nightlife wanderers looking for their own personal ‘scene.’ Fridays in St. Vincent are always exciting. If you’re interested in a pub crawl or club crawl, you can go to popular night spots like Barcode, Tree House Bar, Aqua, and Huffles Ranch, to mention a few.

The most popular night spot on a Friday night, Huffles Ranch is basically a big bar turned club located not too far from town. Huffles Ranch began as a local spot where individuals from the community would go to get their daily fill of alcohol and gossip, but over time it has evolved into a Friday night party scene where people of all different ages and wages convene under the hypnotic stylings of local DJs. The vibe is open and unassuming, and somehow seems to always be exactly what you needed.