It’s Carnival Sunday, and the vibe is slowly building to what stakeholders have said will be one of the best stagings of Carnival yet.
Donning their elaborate costumes, revellers were out in their numbers as the highly-anticipated Road March got underway. For the Yardmas band, the festivities kicked off promptly at 9:00 am with socaphiles hitting the streets of the corporate area, cups in hand, ready to indulge in unlimited liquor and equally unlimited ‘whine’.
The sun was out in all its glory, but that didn’t seem to stop eager sociophiles from soaking in the early vibes. Though they didn’t seem to be exerting themselves, the crowd chipped down the road conservatively, just liming with their crew and posing for pictures.
When the Observer Online stopped to check in with a few patrons, they explained the ‘slow’ pace was strategic as they wanted to save as much energy as possible to ‘get on bad’ in the afternoon session.
“It’s a bit early, so we’re just keeping it cute for now, taking pictures and videos with our friends because later on it’s going down,” said Triniece Anderson.
Anderson, who flew in from Atlanta with her two friends, said the afternoon session will kick things into a higher gear. “A lot of us skipped breakfast because we were getting dolled up, so as soon as we’ve had some food and we start drinking, like really drinking, the streets are going to get hotter.”
Another patron, Romaine Johnston, a Philadelphia resident, said he’s looking forward to “thieving a wine or two” once the band hits the road again for round two.
“Listen, the ladies are looking good, and you know at Carnival, all bets are off, and so I’ll definitely be getting on bad with them later on,” he said.
Carnival in Jamaica climaxes today with the highly anticipated Road March. The streets of Kingston are already buzzing as the vibes continue to mount. The multi-billion dollar industry is expected to again enjoy a year of immense fiscal returns as socaphiles flood the island from all over the globe, injecting millions in revenue into the economy.
– Shereita Grizzle