This past weekend was the highlight of the September celebrations - the Carnival Road March. And after two years, it was still just as alive and energetic.
But the entire event started at 4am with J'ouvert - the mud filled march at the break of dawn. And after a quick shower and a little rest, the same crowd came out to either participate in or watch the actual Carnival.
It was a day of dancing and debauchery and our team was out there from the start of the Jouvert to the end of the Carnival.
Courtney Menzies has the recap.
Courtney Menzies:
It's still dark out but those behind me are ready to party till the sun come up. It's been two years without Jouvert, the pre-carnival tradition that anyone can be a part of, so don't be surprised if things get a little wild, and a whole lot muddier.
And from the next two hours, that's exactly what happened. We followed this riot of revelers rolling through the pre-dawn streets, like a Soca Tsunami, from in front of the Civic Center, over BelChina Bridge, and finally ending at Marine Parade.
And by the end, rather than being tired, the crowd was even more energized.
Crowd
"We feel awesome! Soca Moca to the world!"
Courtney Menzies:
"Ready for carnival?"
Reveler
"Yes, one thing, we ready for carnival, although I dih bleach."
Courtney Menzies
"How was the Jouvert?"
Reveler
"It was great. Jouvert mih wet. Wet, wet, wet, wet, wet."
Courtney Menzies:
"And you wet too?"
Reveler
"Well, I wet same way too."
Courtney Menzies:
"How was the Jouvert?"
Reveler
"Good! Nice! Nice, ey, ey, ey! [dancing] Jouvert mih nice! [Dancing] The hype is on, the hype is on, it's back, I must say thanks to the general public for letting us have a very safe Jouvert and I hope you do the same thing 1 o'clock."
Courtney Menzies:
"You think a lot of people will be coming out for carnival?"
Reveler
"Definitely, I have no regrets in saying come out, you all will be safe, the police have assured us that they will be flooding the streets with officers, so people come out, enjoy the Carnival this afternoon at 1."
Courtney Menzies:
"Do you feel the September spirit is back after 2 years?"
Reveler
"More than back, as you can see, it's on!"
Courtney Menzies:
"How are you guys feeling out here?"
Reveler
"Good, it's good, it's good! [dancing]"
Courtney Menzies:
"Miss, how you dih feel today?"
Reveler
"It's my birthday! Sun up turn up! [cheering]"
Courtney Menzies:
"Miss, how unu dih feel?"
Reveler
"I feel lovely, baby."
Courtney Menzies:
"Are you happy Jouvert is back?"
Reveler
"Yes, I'm happy and I'm glad for it."
Courtney Menzies:
"How are you feeling sir?"
Reveler
"Mind mih business. Drink water and mind my business! Done seh it! I'm grateful being here and today and I'm in carnival and I gotta go dance tomorrow and out here I love it and two years, we're back in it guys!"
Courtney Menzies:
"How you feeling?"
Reveler
"I feel great!"
Courtney Menzies:
"Happy Jouvert is back?"
Reveler
"Oh, yes, definitely. I'm excited! We buss up 2022, 2022 we buss this up."
Courtney Menzies:
"How you feeling?"
Reveler
"Jouvert bwai, feeling good, excited fi the Jouvert, the Jouvert is back!"
"Big up everybody, this is the first time since COVID and everybody is outside and everything lit, everything lit!"
Courtney Menzies:
"So after all the mud and dancing, it's safe to say that these revelers were ready fi the road, and after two years, the September spirit hasn't gone anywhere."
And this time around, nothing could stop the dancers, revelers, and partygoers from fettin', not even an arm riveted with a metal brace.
And that energy remained as the sun rose higher in the sky and the bands prepared for the main event - Carnival 2022.
And after two years, they were all more than ready.
Marina Welcome, Jump Street Posse
"Our first section concern the coronavirus, the vaccine, the syringe, the skeleton is death and you have the one with the mask for protection. So we've been locked up for a while with the coronavirus, two years almost, and then after that joy, the spirit of carnival, and when joy came about, joy said well, it's time to open up the city, so it's time for us to bacchanal so that's why you will see all these beautiful colors behind here because we getting ready to bacchanal."
Courtney Menzies:
"How did you feel for two years when you couldn't bacchanal?"
Marina Welcome, Jump Street Posse
"It was a little disaster but you know we have to cope with everything. So when we start opening up, it was a great deal for me."
Soca Moca
"After two years, the energy is definitely on, this is so exciting, after two years, I can't explain myself, this feeling is so good, you guys will see us perform and, you know, don't mind, I could whine, everybody come and whine."
"This is the Belize section, I am the spider section, we have Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana…The theme is Diary of the Caribbean. Yeah, Diary of the Caribbean."
Courtney Menzies:
"You guys had a very traumatic experience during your Mas Camp."
Soca Moca
"As you know, that was out of our hands but we overcome that, they gave us a second chanced we did our best and we're here to do our best now to give everyone a show."
Leroy Green, Mother Nature
"Mother Nature has been in carnival, I think this makes 18 years, and ever since we've been in carnival we've always place in the top three either for king or road march. This year, as you know, we came first for queen, first for king, and today we are going to be looking for the final win, which is the road March. The revival is really a story which is half fantasy, half history and it's based on corona, the effects of corona, and what happened after corona."
Trenchtown Masqueraders
"Our theme is we back pon the road, we outside 2022."
Courtney Menzies:
"So talk to us about what it means for you guys to be back on the road."
Trenchtown Masqueraders
"Well, it means fun for us, two years and we haven't been on it so now, this year. We ready."
Courtney Menzies:
"Do you feel like you're prepared for what lies ahead?"
Trenchtown Masqueraders
"Yes, we well prepared, all the sleepless night will tell off today."
Courtney Menzies:
"Are you hoping that you guys will win?"
Pickstock Carnival Band
"Yes."
Courtney Menzies:
"And how hard have you practiced?"
Pickstock Carnival Band
"Hard, hard, hard."
Courtney Menzies:
"So what's your favorite part about carnival?"
Pickstock Carnival Band
"Umm, winning."
Samantha Soberanis, Collet Royal Revelers
"My theme for this year is through the eyes of our survivors, you are stronger than you think."
Courtney Menzies:
"So this is because of the pandemic, so why did you choose this for your theme? The theme was chosen based on what our country is presently going through, if you have been listening to the news, you will notice there have been a lot of cases reported for child abuse, domestic violence, and that's the reason we decided to do this theme."
Courtney Menzies:
"How did you feel for two years when you couldn't be out here?"
Samantha Soberanis, Collet Royal Revelers
"It hasn't changed, yes it has been gone for two years, but the feeling is the same, it's carnival, when you hear soca music, you can't keep still. It's good, it's good to be back on the road."
And once the clock hit 1, nothing could contain the Carnival craze.
Host:
"How the vibes today?"
Reveler
"The vibes nice! Everything good! The weather good! Everything is lively!"
Host:
"You ready for this whole new route?"
Reveler
"Well, this is the same route as 2018 so I'm used to it, we've been on this route before, so we ready for anything, Soca Moca come out to win today!"
Host:
"How you feeling?"
Reveler
"I feeling good!"
Host:
"Tell them where you're from!"
Reveler
"I'm from Belize… Los Angeles!"
Host:
"She came all the way from Los Angeles just for carnival guys, how you feeling?"
Reveler
"I feel good!."
Host:
"How are you?"
Reveler
"I'm doing wonderful!"
Host:
"Two years without carnival and you're back now, how that feel?"
Reveler
"My first time so I'm having the time of my life!"
Host:
"Show them this costume!"
Host:
"You want to explain to me what this costume means to you?"
Reveler
"I think it's means, for us carnival means coming blackout from a pandemic, celebrating with friends and being Belizeans, it's part of our culture."
Host:
"You want to explain to me all of this?"
Reveler
"Well I am Queen Aquia, the manifestation of water, the head of life."
Host:
"You ready fi back this thing all day?"
Reveler
"Yeah."
Host:
"Are you guys coming for the win?"
Reveler
"Definitely."
Host:
"Where you from?"
Reveler
"St Lucia!"
Host:
"Show you flag too as well! Because we're one Caribbean. How you feel?"
Reveler
"Great, it's amazing, it's my first time, it's amazing, and I love it!"
And while they all performed with the same vigor as pre-pandemic carnivals, there could still only be one winner. For the Junior Bands, that winner was Soca Massive, and for the Senior Bands, it was Soca Moca.
But in the first post COVID carnival, just being back "pan di road" was a victory for all these revelers and the community which came out in droves for the combustion of colors, culture and choreography.
And second and third place for the junior bands went to Jump Street Posse and Collet Royal Revelers respectively. For the senior bands, Mother Nature Creation came in second and Trenchtown Masqueraders took third place.
