The spirit calling meh!

And it has been for three whole years. As you know, immediately after Trinidad Carnival in February 2020, the whole world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2023 was the grand return to Trinidad & Tobago Carnival as we knew it and it was finally time to…come hoooooome.

To be honest, I did not plan to attend Trinidad & Tobago Carnival in 2023.

When band pre-registrations opened up and flights went on sale last March, I passed on it all. I was torn between waiting to see how this re-emergence was going to go, while also wanting to be a part of the action as excitement and euphoria built up. July rolled around and with it came my birthday, Saint Lucia Carnival and Tribe band launch. The euphoria was high and I saw a few costumes I loved. Within a few days, I made a snap decision with my husband and friends and it was a GO.

so HOW DID I END UP IN BLISS?

Registration started about a month after Band Launch. During that period, I was torn between my top section choices: FREE (Lost Tribe) vs. DIOSA (Tribe) vs. AQUILA (Bliss). Coincidentally, all designed by Shawn Dhanraj. Bliss was my first choice because I wanted a new experience - I had played with Tribe and Lost Tribe before. However, the way it was shaping up, it was going to be impossible to get into this private section in Bliss.

I was going to go with Lost Tribe at first, but ultimately switched to Tribe to join my friends. The pre-registrations cut down the numbers for free-range folks like me trying to get in the regular way. But it worked out in the end. I received a Tribe frontline link from the marketer of one of the sections, put in my information and paid the $560 required deposit for a Frontline costume. I was even able to get a large backpack (backpacks were not readily available this year).

About a month after registering, I was able to get a Diosa costume and sold my registered Tribe costume. Band and costume-wise, I thought I was all set and my focus was on accessorizing the new costume.

Then came the biggest risk I have taken during any carnival season: I saw someone selling their Aquila costume on FineAhBan a month before carnival and I jumped at the opportunity. After reaching out to her and doing my due diligence, I felt safe enough to purchase from the lady with little trepidation.

Though I enjoyed Tribe in 2019, I was eager to try a new band with a more premium experience. I did not like being crowded on the road and paying top dollar for what felt like less. Therefore, a costume I loved in my size and in a new band? It was fate!

Communication

Throughout most of the planning process, I was registered in Tribe. Tribe is very active on social media and their social media posts keep you energized and excited throughout the 7-8 month period until carnival comes around.

Bliss on the other hand, is not very active. They post perhaps once a week if that, so it felt very lacking. However, they seemed responsive in the Instagram comments, especially when there were complaints.

Personally, they were kind, communicative and understanding with me in the DM’s as I discussed my pickup options with them having bought a costume from a 3rd party. I am sure if I were part of the Aquila-masquerader-specific messaging group from the beginning, I would have felt more at ease. I imagine there would have been more excitement and information shared for the masqueraders in this small section.

Costume Collection

Bliss required costumes to be paid off in advance this year to facilitate a payment-free collection point. It was supposed to help with flow and avoid bottle necks in the pickup process. Well, I can say that it did at the front end, but the collection process as a whole must be reviewed.

I had a pretty seamless experience. I was easily able to communicate with the seller of my costume to get the OTP code to access my QR code on the Masquerader X app. I went to the Hilton at 12pm on Carnival Wednesday when my section was ready and was out of there by 12:45pm. I did not leave totally happy though — my jewelled and feathered sleeves, a key piece of my costume, were missing and I needed to go back for them but I was assured they would be ready.

Something I would recommend the band re-visits is the sealing of boxes before they are checked and verified by the masquerader. It made no sense receiving the costume box and then having to go to a separate room to check the contents of the box. To make it worse, there seemed to be no real order in this customer service area. When I walked in, I was not sure if there was a line or if someone was assisting masqueraders. I saw a bunch of people sitting down and only two members of Bliss staff behind the desk. There was no communication about who was still waiting to be assisted or where to go. After hovering for a couple of minutes, I basically opened my box on a ledge and checked the pieces. Everything (besides the missing sleeves) was in order.

When I returned two days later, the same confusion remained about who to speak to and I basically just asked around until I found the right person who could help me. I was given my sleeves within a few minutes. I asked about potentially buying a backpack (huge long shot!) and was advised to either ask the designer directly or check in after costume collection ended the following day. Again, I was at the Hilton for no longer than 45 minutes.

Overall, my costume collection experience was positive despite having to return to the site. If I were to rate it out of 10, I would give it an 8.

Goodie Bag

The ladies of Bliss received a dark teal duffel bag which had our road cups, a sturdy water bottle and Bliss-branded portable speakers. We also received a Bliss umbrella. The men received a khaki green hiking backpack. Everything was pretty good quality. Additionally, as part of a private section, I received a really cute bronze clutch (which I wore on the road) and a lilac silk robe from my designer. Inside the clutch was a portable lilac fan, lilac socks and makeup brushes. All these things in my favorite colour 💜

Costume

The only costume that swayed me to play with Bliss was Aquila so when I saw someone selling it, I reached out to them and purchased it right away. It was a private female-only section with - what seemed like - only about 100-150 ladies. It is no secret I adore Shawn Dhanraj’s creativity and quality of work having played in his Lost Tribe section in 2020, and this costume did not disappoint! Though it did not have a ton of individual pieces and accompaniments, it was meticulously decorated. The lilac and bronze color combination was stunning, the falcon detail on the bra was beautiful and the feather and gem detail on the stockings and arm sleeves, while delicate, was gorgeous and a concept I hope lives on.

Unfortunately, I did not have a backpack but they had bronze/gold spoons that shone brightly in the sunlight and this idea-brought-to-life really encapsulated how you can make a costume with anything if you expand your creativity and Mr. Dhanraj does just that.

Not having a backpack was very freeing and made my experience way better on the road. However, even if I did have a backpack, because it was a private section I would have been able to store my backpack on the section cart/truck.

Gorgeous costume!

THE ROAD EXPERIENCE

To rate my road experience: 8/10

On Carnival Monday, we met up with our band at Ariapita Ave at around 1pm and only saw 2 music trucks. I was immediately concerned because I thought this was the breadth of the band. I knew Bliss was smaller than Tribe but was it this small???

Later, I discovered that another band and its trucks had somehow found its way in Bliss and the rest of the Bliss band was way in the front. We walked ahead and caught up with the rest of the band. The vibes were much better but people were still getting warmed up. After limited sleep before j’ouvert, going to j’ouvert and then rushing to a makeup appointment, I was exhausted so my energy was on the lower end.

This year, I had some Monday Wear issues. This may just be the last year I purchase from a designer’s collection. I did not receive the original Nisha Felice piece I ordered in December (it was not made) and I had not really planned for an alternative. My friend had some fit issues with one of her Monday Wear purchases herself and was unable to wear the piece she bought. She gave me that piece to wear and while it was beautiful, I eventually had to leave the road to change into something more comfortable.

But, a little commotion for its beauty though.

TIP: If your Monday wear is restrictive in any way, don’t even bother trying to make it work! I felt self-conscious all afternoon, was busy readjusting because I wanted no boob slippage and could not let loose. I rushed back home to change into a tried-and-true Icon Swim swimsuit (which I should have just worn from the beginning). Therefore, I had way more fun when I returned back on the road at around 6:30pm. I found my trucks of choice (2 & 3!!) and the energy was amazing.

Music. I feel like I have the same general complaint when it comes to DJs recycling the same 20-30 songs in a loop throughout the day. I had the same experience for the most part. However, there were moments of surprise which I thoroughly enjoyed. We were happy to stick with Trucks 2 & 3 because the DJs on that truck were playing more diverse tracks - old and current, and across different islands. Some people may have groaned but whoever mixed Buju Banton’s “Driver” into Bunji Garlin’s “Hard Fete” deserves an award. Truck 2!

In 2024, I would like Bliss to add more star DJs with more diverse repertoires and mix styles to their roster, such as DJ Jel, DJ Blaze, DJ By Far Mega, DJ Travis World.

Lunch Stop: The lunch spot was at the Queens Park Oval and it was a great choice. Not only was there ample space under the tents that were set up, there were also a couple of seating areas that were built. There was also seating in the stadium bleachers if you wanted to be completely in the shade. I am glad we also had access to the on-site bathroom facilities. But even if you did not use those restrooms, the band had two mobile A/C restroom trucks with bathroom stalls and real sinks. You don’t realize how much of a luxury this is until you go to a band/fete with porta-potties…eww..I can’t do that anymore. With all the money we are paying, mobile restrooms should be a GIVEN.

When we walked into the lunch spot, we were welcomed with alcoholic popsicles and a choice of snack. I got a coconut cake which was delicious. There were about 15 food tents with plenty of choices — BBQ/fried/grilled/orange chicken or fish, tikka masala, lasagna and vegetarian options. I don’t know if anything ran out - I was able to get my meals of choice without waiting. The attendants were very polite as well. I had fried fish on Monday and fried chicken on Tuesday. Mr. Man (Hubby) had beef lasagna on Monday and grilled chicken on Tuesday. Everything tasted so good. Can you believe we were full from our Tuesday meals? We got a comfortable space under the tent with a blanket and napped for an hour (or was it more?). I just know I was very energized in the afternoon.

There were some cute photo backdrops that did not go to waste.

It looked like only the special sections - the Absolute and House of Bacchanal sections - got special amenities like A/C private tents, foot and body massages and makeup touch ups. For the people who have played Bliss before, is this standard? I was a bit perturbed about this because I have seen it made available to all masqueraders in other bands.

Bar: I found it incredibly easy to get drinks. There were so many drink trucks and I did not have to wait to be served. I had the extra privilege of having access to a private cart for my section where I was able to get drinks if I did not feel like walking to one of the nearby trucks.

The bar did not run out of any liquor (to my knowledge) but did run out of coconut water on Monday evening. One of the Bliss exclusive perks is “Bubbly Hour”. Not be confused with the prosecco they serve throughout the day, this is when the bars serve Moët & Chandon champagne at sunset. There was no announcement but Mr. Man noticed the bars were stocked with flutes, so we knew it was soon time. We had about 4-5 flutes each.

Crowd/Vibes/Energy: It grew as the day went on. Tuesday vibes were way better than Monday for me and I attribute it to several things: crossing the stage early meant it was pump for the rest of the day and felt completely comfortable in my costume. We crossed the Socadrome between 11am - 12:30pm approximately, so once people had that experience, backpacks came off and the road was litty. Things turned up more after lunch when masqueraders had more energy. There was scaling of walls, climbing on statues and overall fun!

Again, Trucks #2 & #3 had the crowd in a chokehold as the sun went down and onlookers joined the festivities. I feel like the masqueraders fed off their participation and happiness. Plus, seeing the kids with their parents is always so cute to me!

As with any band, Bliss is as fun as you and your crew make it. I had more fun as I ran into friends and saw familiar faces on the road.

Is it the “couples’ band? Let me clear these rumours. I don’t think so, but I felt like people were not as open wining on strangers so that can be a bit annoying if you’re not used to that. That doesn’t mean the opportunities were not there, just fewer. People were friendly for the most part, and I danced with a few strangers with no issue. However, people did stick with their groups more. The band got crowded at times, but hardly to the point where you cannot move. When it happened, it was because we were on a narrow stretch.

Diversity: It is no secret that this band is known to have a lot of Indo-Trinis so as a Black woman, I was a little worried about whether I would stick out like a sore thumb and feel uncomfortable. To the contrary. It was a very mixed crowd - majority Indian yes - but overall mixed demographically by race, age and gender. I neither felt out of place nor did I feel unwelcome.

Security: In my experience, security did their job. Yes, there were stormers. That is inevitable. I saw folks from Yuma, Tribe and Lost Tribe in the band but I remember seeing the security team ACTIVELY looking at people’s wrists and physically removing people. The rope folks were also good at keeping non-masqueraders outside the ropes.

At around 8pm we left the band to meet up with friends in Rogue band and headed over to Nelson Mandela Park for Las Lap. I stayed long enough to get two more drinks at the Aquila cart and two bake and shark sandwiches. We were exhausted and went home shortly after. I always appreciate Las Lap because it’s a huge Tribe family lime and one last ditch effort to see friends you did not see on the road or in Trinidad as a whole. I was in my bed by midnight and already reminiscing about the jam-packed week.

In conclusion, I will play with Bliss Carnival again. It felt like a mix of my Tribe and Lost Tribe experiences. I enjoyed having enough space on the road, the premium amenities, the good customer service and the youthful energy. I had a good time!

Did you go to Trinidad Carnival this year? Who did you play mas with? Tell me about your experiences - maybe I will try out another new band!

Bliss Carnival Jukebox 2023

Come Home

Hard Fete

Like Yuh Self

Engine Room

Shake The Place

Never Again

The Spirit

Mental Day

DAP (Drink and Party)

Look Back

Bless This Party

Stage is Yuh Name

Spirit

Ego Jam

Road March 2023: “Hard Fete” by Bunji Garlin & Fay-Ann Lyons

Large Band Of The Year 2023: Lost Tribe