CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL - Washington, D.C.,June 26, 2009

The 17th annual Washington, DC Caribbean Carnival was another big success for the organizers and the Caribbean community!

I love the DC Carnival because it is an occasion for people of all races to come together to share in the common goal of enjoying and experiencing a bit of island culture and cuisine, right in the heart of Washington DC. Every year in June, thousands of spectators line Georgia Avenue, N.W., the main parade route, for a view of the masqueraders and the big music trucks. Many of them get there long before the festivities begin so they can secure the best vantage points along the route, which starts at Missouri Avenue and ends at Howard University's Banneker Field.

At this year's festivities, masqueraders paraded their bands' costumes proudly to the beats of calypso, reggae and other island music, which is pumped from huge speakers rigged onto 18-wheeler trucks. The bands made their way, one after the next, down Georgia Avenue, N.W., as the masqueraders "chipped" behind the trucks and gave the spectators a show along the way.

Some of the bands were big and the costumes were elaborate and colourful, while others masqueraders wore skimpy costumes suitable for the hot, almost 90 degree, weather on Carnival day. One of my favourite bands to see is the "mud mass" band. This is a band where the costume is red mud. The masqueraders first rub themselves with baby oil and then the mud goes on by the handful. Sometimes the men wear only shorts while the women cover up a little more before they smear the mud all over their bodies from head to toe. They also carry a barrel filled with mud, just in case someone wants to join their band along the way. (:

Other bands were small but had an impact on the carnival nonetheless as DC's Caribbean Carnival seems to be expanding to places beyond the Caribbean. This year I was pleasantly surprised to see one such band from Sierra Leone along the parade route. The masqueraders were mostly men who wore dashikis and big straw hats, and they were "chipping" down Georgia Avenue too! (:

During DC Carnival weekend there are Caribbean parties everywhere in the area. If the parade alone is not enough, you can start "de fete" on Friday night at one of the local night clubs, enjoy the parade on Saturday during the day, (don’t forget to check out the food and arts & craft vendors inside Banneker Field), and continue "de fete" on Saturday night. These fetes usually get going between midnight and 2:00 a.m., and can last well beyond sunrise. Wear comfortable shoes because you will be "jumping around" to calypso and reggae music and don't forget to bring "yuh rag."

The beauty of Carnival in the Caribbean is that all are invited to celebrate and fete with the locals. Anyone who is brave enough "wine" and "go down low" to be beats of any island music will be most respected! (:

Next year's DC Carnival festivities will be held on June 26 & 27, 2010. Check out the website at http://www.dccaribbeancarnival.org/default2.html for more information.

Meanwhile check out some other Carnival celebrations in the US and around the world:

Caribana – Toronto, Canada
www.caribanatoronto.com (Official season 7/14/09-8/2/09)

Miami Carnival – Miami, Florida
miamicarnival.net/events/event_16.html (October 11, 2009)

Trinidad & Tobago Carnival – Port of Spain, Trinidad www.gotrinidadandtobago.com/events/calendar_of_events.php (February 15 & 16, 2010)

All photos were taken on June 26, 2009 and are the personal property of Screenname TriniDiva.