Icom's Blog – September 2018 Archive (15)

As a sound system blares “Mind your funky business, leave me alone,” Elton — a tall ,middle-aged man, dark skin well-moisturized and proudly dressed in red from his cap to his trousers — proceeded to set me straight on my possible impressions of Cambridge Carnival 2018:

 “Any time you hear people say that they came to Carnival and they saw women dressing half-naked, and stuff like that, that is just a form…

Officials of the National Carnival Commission (NCC) are vowing to put Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival back on top.

Speaking at the launch of Carnival 2019 on Saturday, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the NCC Colin Lucas and Chairman Winston “Gypsy” Peters, sounded the alarm on the need for T&T to take back its place on the top of the Carnival totem.

“We…

Port-of-Spain, Trinidad – Miami Carnival on the horizon, new music ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s 2019 Carnival season is just about ready to take over the airwaves.

Clearly aware of soca lovers’ need to feel the energy of the artistes who’ll make their feting experience a thrilling one, the young, energetic team of music producers at the Black Carpet Movement, have hit the ground…

Join Miami Carnival as they celebrate young people with their annual Jr. Carnival Parade of Bands and a cultural celebration that features music, spectacle, and fun for the whole family.

Miami Broward Junior Carnival takes place Saturday, September 29th, 2018 from 12 noon-10pm at the Central Broward Regional Park-3700 Northwest 11th Place, Lauderhill, FL 33311.…

Shal Marshall says his debut to New York City’s Hot97FM stage last Friday, was a tremendous success. The Trinidad and Tobago entertainer, and radio personality has had a jam-packed post carnival schedule. His Soca anthems have allowed him to widen his scope, having been able to deliver his style of Soca to thousands around the world.

We caught up with the ‘Splinters’ singer as he departed New York on…

Carnival enthusiasts around the world have been waking up to the rich cultural heritage of the Giant of Africa – Nigeria. The country has its own long tradition of masquerade, but more recently Caribbean-style urban street carnivals have been introduced to encourage tourism. The best known is Calabar Carnival, but a relative newcomer in Imo State has been gaining a lot of traction recently. And this year, you can take part in Imo…

MIAMI – The annual Caribbean Carnival season culminates with one of the largest cultural spectacles in North America, Miami Carnival, on Sunday, October 7th from 11am-11pm at the Miami-Dade County Fairgrounds (10901 SW 24th St, Miami, FL 33165).

Miami Carnival, celebrating 34 years, continues to be a feather in the cultural diversity cap of Miami and the South Florida…

It’s not often you get asked to choose who should receive £100,000 a year, but Kensington and Chelsea Council (RBKC) is calling on people to join a panel to vet applications from groups wanting to run Notting Hill Carnival for the next three years.

This year, RBKC awarded the grant to Notting Hill Carnival Limited (NHCL), an offshoot of Carnival Village Trust (CVT), which runs The Tabernacle arts and…

If you’ve been to a fete, listened to soca music, or visited any Caribbean island in general, then you’ve probably heard of DJ Private Ryan. Born in Trinidad, Ryan Alexander aka DJ Private Ryan provides the soundtrack for just about every Caribbean Carnival across the globe. Trinidad Carnival? He’s there. Grenada Spice Mas? He’s there too. Bermuda Heroes Weekend? Yup, no question. His international success is undeniable, and his global imprint just…

Millions of spectators and attendees celebrated at the West Indian Day Parade and J'ouvert Festival on Labor Day, September 3, in Brooklyn.

Many attended, taking in the sights and exciting atmosphere of…

The West Indian American Day Parade will welcome a new participant this year. Banboche Mas, will be the first Haitian Mas Camp, short for Masquerade Camp, to march down Eastern Parkway.

"I was shocked to hear that we didn't have one; 'cause Haiti is always represented in these parades. But I never really took notice that its own section didn't exist because throughout the parade the whole parade is reppin'…

The J'ouvert Festival and West Indian American Day Parade was held amid beefed up security Monday, but participants still reveled in a great Labor Day.

It was a celebration of Caribbean culture and freedom of speech surrounded by a visible NYPD presence. Thousands danced their way down Flatbush Avenue for J'ouvert in the early morning parade commemorating the emancipation of Caribbean slaves, followed by…

Revelers displaying their Caribbean pride took to the streets of Brooklyn on Monday, flags waving, music blaring and feet dancing, for New York City's annual take on Carnival celebrations.

At the main West Indian American Day Parade and the early morning street party known as J'Ouvert that preceded it, they were joined by a significant police presence intended to prevent any violence from marring the events…

This year’s Car­ni­val vis­i­tors spent a to­tal of $318 mil­lion, ac­cord­ing to Camille Robin­son-Reg­is, Min­is­ter of Plan­ning of De­vel­op­ment.

How­ev­er, there was a de­cline in vis­i­tor ar­rivals from 2017 to 2018.

“The to­tal vis­i­tor ar­rivals to Trinidad and To­ba­go were 33,873 per­sons, with…

Trinidad and Tobago celebrates one of its own today. Olatunji Yearwood has added more value to the island of Soca, steel pan and Carnival than even he probably understands, and it all happened on Saturday in the UK when the former Groovy Soca Monarch King mounted the X Factor stage.

Dressed impeccably in a custom tailored Ecliff Elie suit, the 32-year-old super star in the making confidently expressed his…