It’s been a month since the greatest show on earth, Trinidad Carnival, and I’m suffering from a major case of Tabanca. In other words, I’m missing Trinidad Carnival, and the vibes rell bad!
This year, my friend talked me into playing mas with Tribe, and we opted for the VIP FLAIR package. In the past, I’ve been a faithful masquerader with Rogue, Tribe’s sister band.
However, this year, I decided to try something new, and for Tribe’s 20th anniversary, I thought I might as well try it!
When I saw the Flamenco costume designed by Natalie Fonrose, I was immediately in love with the colors, design, and entire look! I knew I needed to cross the stage in that costume. Not to mention, I wanted to have a VIP road experience and everything that came with it! Let’s get into this Trinidad Carnival recap.
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Registration
Seeing as it was my first time playing with Tribe, registration was first offered to return masqueraders. Fortunately, my friend has connections, and I received an invitation to register with Flamenco in August 2023 and wasted no time creating my profile and selecting my costume. I chose the Flamenco X Bodywear costume without a feather pack.
While I absolutely love a feather pack with its elaborate feathers, sequins, and eye-catching appeal, they are heavy, and I wanted to wine and move through the crowd easily.
Costume Pick Up
In previous years, I’ve used a concierge service to pick up my costume on my behalf, so I was super excited about the entire costume pick-up process! We used the Masquerader Xperience app to schedule our costume pick-up time.
After DJ Private Ryan’s Soca Baby boat ride, we headed to the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain Ballroom, for the VIP FLAIR costume collection. I was relieved that the wait time was less than 15 minutes because I’d heard horror stories of people waiting hours at costume pick-up. Once my name was called, I eagerly walked into the ballroom to collect my costume.
After taking my picture, one of the staff members reviewed everything I needed for Trinidad Carnival Monday and Tuesday. Since I was playing with Tribe and in the VIP section, I had two bracelets in my costume box. I was told I needed to wear both bracelets on both days.
Before leaving, a Tribe staff member showed me how to put on my costume to ensure everything fit properly, which I really appreciated! A friend needed a new bottom, and the staff was gracious enough to replace it immediately.
Aside from my costume, I always look forward to my goodie bag, which is typically filled with great swag, such as your carnival cup for the road, Trini snacks (my favorite!), and other items.
But this year, we were told that most items were held up in customs. I was disappointed with the news, especially seeing how we went with the VIP option. I expected everything would be ready and waiting for us, but things happened that were out of my control.
Before leaving, another staff member assured us we’d receive the rest of our items before Carnival Tuesday and that we’d be notified.
Trinidad Carnival Monday
After waking up from a much-deserved nap from J’ouvert, I sprung out of bed and got myself ready for Trinidad Carnival Monday! We got a late start and missed the band crossing the Savannah stage, but we caught up to our band at our designated lunch camp at Queen’s Park, Savannah.
Once inside Tribe’s lunch camp, we looked for the VIP section but couldn’t find it.
Thankfully, I was in the Flamenco WhatsApp group chat, and someone came to our rescue and shared the drop pin. The VIP lunch camp was a 5-minute walk from the rest of the band. I wished FLAIR had communicated this information before Monday so I knew where to go for lunch.
Once we found the location, we presented our VIP FLAIR wristbands and were greeted with ice-cold towels, which was refreshing, given the sun was blazing hot!
We walked into a beautifully decorated backyard to see the Flamenco masqueraders leisurely enjoying lunch, relaxing, and charging their devices. A DJ played music, and the items missing from our goodie bags were waiting for us, too!
The lunch options weren’t as diverse as those at the main Tribe lunch camp, but I had Chinese food and tried some of the well-seasoned local food.
Back on the road with our bellies full, the energy was high, the music was on point, and there wasn’t a frown in sight! It was only good vibes, good soca. The DJs played soca music from different Caribbean islands, not just Trini Soca! I’m talking new, old, small island soca like Bouyon, Dennery Segment, and Jab Jab. I was in heaven!!
Another plus was with 6 trucks, the VIP truck, and a dedicated White Oak self-service truck; getting a drink was easy, and I never waited more than 5 minutes.
Related Articles: The Ulitmate Trinidad Carnival Planning Guide For First Timers
Trinidad Carnival Tuesday
I like to refer to Carnival Tuesday as Christmas morning because it feels like that! Despite my tootsies still being sore from the day before, it didn’t matter. I woke up before my alarm clock. I had breakfast, got dressed with my friends, and had a little puncheon just because.
Getting dressed took longer than expected, but I was thankful I had a tutorial to follow while I put on my costume.
Once ready, we used the Masquerade Xperience app to locate our band and saw the trucks waiting to cross the stage at the Socadrome. We arrived at the Socadrome just in time to see our Flamenco and FLAIR trucks lined up to cross the stage.
Tribe is a big band, and I was happy our truck was last and that we arrived when we did. I couldn’t imagine standing in the hot sun for as long as most of the masqueraders did in our section with little shade!
It was finally our time to cross the stage, and I was ready! Mical Teja’s DNA was blasting, and I screamed, “No place like home, home.” Once we got to the end of the stage, Bunji Garlin’s Carnival Contract played next, and everyone went crazy!
We sang, hugged, laughed, and carried with our hearts full of jubilation. The feeling of crossing the stage in your costume is indescribable!
Afterward, we made our way to our lunch camp. Fortunately, I knew where to find it from the day before!
The food options could’ve been better, but I settled on local food for the second day: chicken, rice, and salad. I was tempted to try the roasted pork but was distracted by the fantastic amenities!
There was a dedicated shoe-cleaning station, which was a first for me. After I went to the bronzing station and got a little spray down, I went to the champagne station and touched up my makeup. I paid for the VIP package, so I was taking advantage of everything and wasn’t going to be shy about it!
After the trucks pulled off to head back on the road, we lingered at camp to take last-minute pictures and enjoy one more glass of bubbly. As we were walking to catch up to the trucks, we ran into Lyrikal, a popular Trini soca artist!
The groupie in me had zero behavior, and I immediately asked for a picture, which he happily accepted. Lyrikal is one of my favorite soca artists, not to mention rell handsome!
I loved seeing soca artists playing mas with Tribe and other bands. Trinidad Carnival is for everyone, and I loved that for us!
One thing that annoyed me about FLAIR was their security. I noticed they were selective about who got on the truck and for how long. While taking a break on the truck, I saw masqueraders from different sections on the VIP truck and 2 children who looked unaccompanied.
Seeing the masqueraders and children who weren’t in the VIP section was irritating! After heading to the fully stocked bar, I quickly got over it and enjoyed the DJ’s tunes!
At the end of the day, we crossed the Savannah stage, which was nice seeing how I missed crossing on Monday.
We chipped down the road some more and made our way to the last lap, our dedicated after-party camp, which also meant the end of the road.
There were live performances from GBM Nurton, as well as food, drinks, and places to rest. I was still on a euphoric high from the day!
Conclusion – Lady Chin’s Two Cents
I had a few gripes with the VIP FLAIR services, mostly around the need for more communication and organization. Another disappointing pain point was their inability to provide the Flamenco masqueraders with adequate goodie bags. If you pay for VIP service, you should get it! My hope is that they will improve their offerings and services next year.
Overall, I had a blast! Thinking back to my road experience with Tribe, it was unmatched! The music, energy, non-stop bacchanal, and vibes made my two days special.
I loved our route, and I got to see a lot of Port of Spain. My costume was an absolute show-stopper! Next year, for Trinidad Carnival 2025, I plan to pay with a different band. Which one, do you ask? You’ll have to wait and see!
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