GREENZ/SPICE MAS 2019
We cyah wait for carnival, drinking rum & gettin' on - roaming all over the town, that is how we have we fun
I will never forget the moment I realized that Grenadians were different. It was on a boat ride on Labor Day weekend (NYC Carnival) in 2016. The pride Grenadians have for their country is an energy I have never witnessed before. Those Jab riddims will have you jumping up and down as well as from side to side.
Click here to check out my favorite 2019 Jab Mixes on Soundcloud - courtesy of DJ Fearless Kevon - straight out of Grenada
I was lucky enough to visit the Spice Island in 2019 for Grenada Spice Mas - and it has become my favorite Carnival ever (of course I have plenty more to chip through). I feel like going to Grenada in 2019 was perfect because of the music that came out that year. It was hit after hit after hit - to me anyway. Vibe after vibe. The Soca music that comes out for the countrys carnival is so critical every year. Because you have power Soca, and groovy Soca - and both types determine the vibes for Carnival. For me, I couldn't find a 2019 Jab song I didn't like.
sidenote: I think its very important to note that I personally felt very safe in Grenada.
Fetes
Grenada Spice Mas occurs in August of every year. In 2019, we (my friend Shamika & I) landed on the 8th - with no fete that day. Generally, for Carnival time - you have to arrive with the mentality and knowledge that you will NOT get rest - so plan your fete schedule accordingly, as fetes often go from morning to afternoon, afternoon to night, and night til' morning. We knew that we had an early flight and would just probably want to "relax" for the first day. .. But we were settling into our room at the Allamanda (not my favorite hotel but it was available & connected to the beach), and heard music coming from the beach. We ran to the balcony and saw the music was coming from a fete cruise. We looked at each other and laughed like "oh nah, there's no way we can stay in today." It's Carnival time - so of course there's something always going on. We bought tickets for "La Vida" that Thursday night. The vibes for La Vida were cool. *word of advice - when you are going to a Carnival MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THE MUSIC FROM THAT COUNTRY or you will feel left out!* & if you don't like the songs initially - they will grow on you & you won't have a choice. That's the vibe I got from La Vida, I can vibe by myself but the crowd to me was just blah. The artists who perform at fetes usually feed off of the crowds energy, idk how they managed to keep their own hype at La Vida.
Vale Vibe & Spice Addiction's- Savvi Cooler Fete
Friday night - August 9th. This was on land and kind of dark. The music was great. This is when SOCA KINGDOM by Machel came out so I vividly remember a lot of strangers and friends wrapping their arms around each others shoulders and swaying from side to side. My nosey self noticed we were by a beach and wanted to go explore and be observant. In doing so, my feet were attacked by tiny ants - and it felt like I was getting stung by hundreds of tiny bees. I tried to keep my foot cool by running it under cold water - but my foot wouldn't stop swelling and I could no longer take the pain - so we left. :(
SILENT MORNING GRENADA
Friday Morning - I've said previously (in my Trinidad Carnival 2020 review) that I am a loyal Silent Morning attendee. SM is a cooler cruise that usually includes breakfast. Cooler cruises are when you bring your own cooler, with your own drinks so you don't have to go buy drinks at the bar. SM was crowded on certain areas of the boat & like I said, Jab riddims make you do a lot of jumping and running around - so I stayed where it was a bit less crowded lol.
spice addictions - fleet
Saturday Morning - this event was not in our plans because I personally refuse to pay for all-inclusive events because I don't drink. My friends and I were relaxing on the beach, and we heard Soca playing in the distance. We all looked at each other like "okay, we're about to go for a walk on the beach?" LOL, and we followed the music and that's how we ended up on FLEET. One of my friends caught the attention of someone on the boat that was hanging out close to the shore and invited us to come aboard. FLEET consists of catamarans in the water going around each other and then they all line up so you can wave to your fete famalay & friends on the other boats. (Sidenote, some of the employee friends I made, LIVE in St. Lucia, & shout out to them for advice on planning Lucia Carnival 2020).
BIGGEST WHITE PARTY w/ machel montano
There were 2 all white parties going on - Biggest White was with the "King of Soca," Machel Montano, and Pure White was up on the countryside which had Dancehall artists on the lineup. BTW: When the fete has a theme like "all white" - now isn't the time to be unique. Wear white. I mean of course you won't turned away and unable to enter the fete, it's just cute to be united. The Biggest White Party took place at the Grenada National Stadium. I say this to try to get you to imagine just how many people were actually at this event. It started late. The sound and stage lights weren't even on when we arrived (around 11:30 or midnight if I remember correctly). It was raining that day and the seats in the stadium were wet, but some people took seats anyway as the entertainment crew to got the venue together. There were a lot of performers that took the stage and kept the crowd going - mainly Grenadian. I definitely remember Slatta performing "Unbothered" - and me making my way to the front of the crowd because you know.. that's my song. Machel made his grand appearance around 4am - and he always puts on a show. Machel always brings energy not to mention his extensive discography. There's confetti, bright lights, flags waving, people jumping & chanting and before you know it - you woke up the sun. This event went on until after 6am.
Jab Jab J'Ouvert - Sun 08.11 into Mon 08.12, 2019
There is no j'ouvert like a Jab Jab J'ouvert in Grenada. Grenada is known more for their J'ouvert than their Carnival Road & its one of the most traditional events in Grenada. The history behind the culture or what it means to be "a Jab" is definitely apparent during j'ouvert. You will see it all from devil horns, musical instruments, to people walking with chains. The tradition is to get covered in OIL - (but before you do, apply a ton of baby oil on yourself). Also, there are other bands that use paint, clay and mud in case you don't want to use oil. Either way - use clothes you do NOT care about. J'ouvert is the similar to Mas/Road March, in the sense that you're chipping through the town - except you're dirty while doing it. You head out about 3am, and you keep going until the sun rises. Don't worry about energy - when you hear those riddims with that bass, you'll move on your own.
Cleaning up after j'ouvert is a task. The trick is to use dishwashing soap - and rinse off in the ocean. You could also combine the sand with the soap to create a scrub lol. It also helps if you have friends who will help wash you off!!
Monday Night Mas - Monday August 12th, 2019
Instead of the "Carnival Monday" most of us know, Grenada has Monday Night Mas. This consists of trucks, glow sticks & LED lights everywhere. What I loved most about this was that they gave directions to point your glow stick to for certain songs. For example, for Noydie's "Bop," when they say "she using the bop, the bop" - you wave to the left. "She using the air freshener" - you wave to the right. Or in "Bacchanal Party" when they say "ova so" you wave in the same directions too." I'm just corny and watching everyone participate and have fun made me happy lol. Nonetheless, Monday night mas ends early enough (around midnight) for you to get enough rest before "Pretty Mas" on Tuesday.
"Pretty Mas"
what I was supposed to wear on the road
vs. what I actually wore on the road
Funny story. Pathetic actually - but us masqueraders who were supposed to play with XNOVA (a new unestablished band) made the best of the road. A small percentage of XNOVA was able to get their costumes & others in bits and pieces. I cried real tears the moment I realized I was not going to be able to play mas - in the costume I paid my good $ for. We had a group chat with our section leader who continuously gave updates before we had to hit the road. Allegedly, the band leader got into some legal trouble and would not be able to fulfill orders or even backpacks (feathers). Some of the production for our costumes were already started so if you wanted to see what you could get your hands on - it'd be on a first come, first serve basis - which is not how mas costumes are done at all. Everything that goes with your costume - head piece, tiara, top, panties, monokini, leg pieces, arm pieces, wrist bands, cups, tattoos - should all be in that one bag/box with your name on it ready to go. All that was left in my bag by the time I arrived at my section leaders house was a cup and my thong panty. .. I was livid. I took my wristbands and went on my way because I still had every intention to go on the road - costume or not. We had a time! It started off kind of sad though because you see everyone else in their costumes and feel left out. But by the time we started chipping and hours had passed, we still had the same amount of fun - costume or not.
Grand Anse Beach, St. Georges Grenada
I'm not even a beach person. But whenever we did have some down time - you could have found me on Grand Anse Beach.
The Carenage
View from the top
of Fort Frederick
Annandale Falls
