All Blog Posts (18,813)

The traditional Crop Over festival used to be called, “Harvest Home” and it started on Barbados’ sugar cane plantations. The old-time Crop Over festivals were lighthearted events. They celebrated the end of the sugar harvest…and the end of the hard work involved with bringing in the sugar harvest! The first Crop Over Celebration happened way back in 1687. Today, the Crop Over tradition lives on. If you decide to attend, you’re in for a thrilling,…

Imagine a soca-fuelled five-day cruise to a beautiful private island with your crew and some of your favourite artists and DJ’s in tow.



UberSoca Cruise is inviting you to do just that from November 1 to 5 aboard the Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas, set for Labadee, Haiti. Dubbed as the largest soca festival on the seas, UberSoca Cruise is changing the way we think of cruises giving its…

Carnival may be a staple of Caribbean culture, but each country alters it's pulse to their respective rhythm. Over the last few years, the sound of Trinidad's Carnival – known to many as the biggest bacchanal in the West Indies – has had a great exporter in the vocalist Bunji Garlin, a soca singer whose gravelly voice dances against horns and steel pans in a vibrant echo of the slurry, sunny party. Garlin's also seemingly always had his eye on…

BAHAMAS Carnival will press on for its fourth year on May 4 with a meagre marketing campaign that has left some group leaders discontent.

#“Public relations is not where it should be,” according to Dario Terrelli, president of the Bahamas Carnival Band Owners Association.

#“There’s the lack of government involvement and no international marketing. It’s ridiculous…

Reigning Cayman Islands soca monarch Andrea Rivera came to Jamaica last weekend to participate in this year's carnival.

She marched with the Xodus band. Rivera said she had visited Jamaica twice before but relished this trip.

"Jamaica is such a vibesy place ... In the future I want to work with Jamaican artistes. Vybz Kartel would be a dream, but I love Konshens…

Beyonce Knowles is this month, the talk of the town.

The Internet remains abuzz, singing her praise for a job well done at the recent Coachella music festival, in California. The Caribbean meanwhile, is pretty quiet and one man who’s been a part of the entertainment landscape for some time, thinks there’s no reason why this cultural hub, should ever be quiet.

US…

Although the weather forecast calls for rain this weekend, the Ulrich Museum of Art is inviting everyone to experience a warmer climate through the music, dance, parade, and pageantry of the Caribbean.

The Ulrich spring exhibition “En Mas: Carnival and Performance Art of the Caribbean” opens at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The show…

In this steadfast and recently expanded carnival segment of the entertainment industry, aficionados have focused much of their attention on patrons in and around the nation's capital.

However, two event promoters noticed a void and decided to do something about it.

"While the carnival in Kingston was good, people outside of Kingston found it hard to participate,"…

Carnival season in Jamaica has finally elapsed and a sense of normality is beginning to return to the country. After several weeks of non-stop partying, it is imperative for us to get rid of all the excess alcohol that comes with the season. According to Marianna, founder of Nana's Kitchen, which is a plant-based vegan blog & recipe developer, excess alcohol is known to dehydrate the body and overwork the liver. "It may be common to wake up with…

Hurricane Maria did not impede the Crucian Christmas Festival, so whoever thought Hurricane Irma would have stalled the territory’s carnival in Charlotte Amalie this year — the U.S.V.I.’s premier cultural event — must not be acquainted with the resiliency of Virgin Islanders, and the reveling spirit indwelling Caribbean people.

Yes, it’s carnival in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and although some activities have…

The 10 Hottest Costumes We Saw at Jamaica Carnival This Week

So for years this has been a pet peeve of mine. Jamaica has a vibrant and growing Carnival, arguably one of the major carnivals in the Caribbean, and yet from ash Wednesdays to good Friday there are essentially only one or 2 soca releases meant specifically for Jamaica.

For those of us that #dothedouble (Trinidad…

Over 1,000 visitors from Canada and the US decended on Barbados for five-days of non-stop partying and activity at the first ever Vujaday Music Festival – an exposition of house and electronic dance music.

The festival, which ran from April 4 – 8, was held at six unique locations across the island: Nikki Beach in St Peter, Bellevue Plantation and Pirate’s Cove Bay in St Michael, the…

Although he has never been in the actual parade, O'Neil Smith has been revelling on the sidelines of carnival Road March for the past 17 years.

"I have been to all of the events leading up to Road March but me never buy a costume and join in. But it feels nice to be mixing with the rich every year," he said.

Giving The STAR his best recollections of the soca…

Jumping through the streets of Kingston, Jamaica yesterday with the Bacchanal Jamaica band, I was struck by the sight of something that has almost disappeared from the streets of Port-of-Spain – spectators.

All along the ‘hip strip’, through Halfway Tree and New Kingston, crowds lined the streets, ogling the masqueraders, dancing to the music, following the bands. It reminded me of the reason I fell in love…

Officials within the Tourism and Entertainment Ministries are happy with the growth of carnival in Jamaica, and believe the development will not slow down anytime soon.

Speaking with The STAR during the Road March on Carnival Sunday, State Minister in the Entertainment Ministry, Alando Terrelonge, said having witnessed a strong showing by the three bands this year, he believes the soca scene is poised to…

As Carnival in Jamaica gets into third gear, the island is seeing an increase in soca stars arriving for the celebrations which culminate on Sunday, April 8.

Among those that have already arrived from Trinidad and Tobago are: Machel Montano, soca’s biggest star, Bunji Garlin, Fay-Ann Lyons, Kees Dieffenthaller, Linky First and Patrice Roberts.

Shal Marshall,…

Reigning Cayman Islands soca monarch Andrea Rivera is eagerly anticipating her participation in this year's carnival in Jamaica. 

"I am really looking forward to it, I have my costume and I will be in the Xodus ban;, my costume was gifted to me so I want to bring my Puerto Rican-Caymanian energy to Jamaica!" an excited Andrea Rivera said. 

Xodus Carnival is a…

BLASÉ Vanguard’s Caribbean dance music song Mama has been included on a fund-raising music compilation released by the edgy UK-based record label and feminist creative collective Femme Culture for the UN Women HeForShe campaign. The collection includes work from musicians from around the work. It was released on March 7 for International Women’s Day 2018.

Meanwhile, the young producer’s song Dahlin’ is…

Soca artiste Destra Garcia (centre) poses with Michael Ammar Jr., (left), director, Bacchanal Jamaica and Joe Bogdanovich, CEO of Reggae Sumfest and Downsound Entertainment (DSE), at the Press Launch at the DSE New Kingston head office, recently.

CEO of Downsound Entertainment (DSE) Joe Bogdanovich has successfully added soca to his repertoire by minting a partnership with Bacchanal Jamaica for…