Shanny:Lioness on the Rise: I'm In Love With The Cocoa Jouvert

Thursday, March 19, 2015

I'm In Love With The Cocoa Jouvert

"Carnival is defined as an event where many people gather to celebrate something."

Jamaica's Carnival season runs from January to April.

My love affair with Carnival started when I was younger. I last played mas in Kiddies Carnival when I was in first form in 1997. At that time, there were two bands "Jamaica Carnival" & "Bacchanal Jamaica". When Jamaica Carnival ended I took a sort of hiatus from soca but as faith would have it almost 10 years later I rekindled my love affair.

I love playing pretty mas but my heart is devoted to the "dutty" ways of Jouvert! I love the colours & the vibes of Jouvert, so it is no surprise that it is my favourite part of the whole Carnival festivities.

This season, I got of to a late start but I know I picked the right event to start with...Sunset Cocoa Jouvert.

It took 2 words to get me signed up for Cocoa Jouvert.....KERWIN DUBOIS!

The next task was to figure out which team to join....we were in two minds Island Mas or Dusk. Because we knew we were playing UWI Carnival with Island Mas we decided to join team Dusk.

Myself & the very beautiful Vivette #LikeABoss

I had to cross Hills & Valleys to get the tickets...LITERALLY

THE PACKAGE!

I anticipated a good time but what I left with was an AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!!!

The jouvert area was set up at the first entrance of Hope Gardens. There were food stations and trucks serving as bars. There was also a Cocoa station.

So the night kicked off with the DJ's spinning hits after soca hits as patrons frolicked in the Cocoa.

We later hit the "road" drinks in hand & bumpers gyrating non stop.

Our final destination (after a few stops in between) was the second entrance to Hope Gardens where the main performance stage was set up. I was in awe....Kerwin Dubois is one of my favourite soca artiste. I think he is extremely talented & knows how to find the hits. All I remember was wining down & singing along to ALL his hits....oh & his skills with a water hose.

When the DJ's took over after his set, they kept the energy high & even sprinkled a little Dancehall flavour in the mix.

Unlimited drinks, vibes & great company was the right formula for a night to remember. The musical stylings of DJ Richie Ras (one of my favourite DJs especially for Soca) & Nuphoric from Trinidad & Tobago were my favourites for the night!

I was dancing nonstop until the party ended at 2:00 AM.

Sunnation definitely got it right with Sunset Cocoa Jouvert. I will definitely be making this a staple on my party calendar.

Outfit of the Night