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TAMPA
BAY CARNIVAL 2009 COVERAGE
Two Virgins Carnival Prowling I got a last minute call (the day before the Carnival) from JoyJuice, who has been covering the Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival for the past couple years, telling me that he's unable to make it down this year. So with meh true Carnival hot foot, I made a few calls, and it wasn't long before EC Travel had myself and Party McFly booked to travel bright & early the next morning to Tampa Int'l Airport. With TJJ gear and equipment all packed, these two Tampa Bay Carnival virgins were ready to SCORE! So while waiting to board my flight, I posted
on my Macobook aka Facebook Wall that I wanted to see what Tampa Bay Carnival
is all about. And one man replied, "aint nothin special...." Hummm...
not quite the response we wanted to see! Here's the verdict for Tampa... it's a great fun weekend in the sun, filled with lots of Caribbean food, arts & crafts and entertainment. You get two action packed concerts for less than $15 each ($10 in Advance) to jump & wave or sway the night away to some of the biggest Caribbean acts. Where else can you see both Alison Hinds and Sean Paul with their bands in full length concert performances for just $15??!! Also in this Carnival weekend, you get a nice soca fete smack in the middle (on the Saturday night). We recommend adding a Top 5 artist or band (for the current year) into the line up. And with the right promoters and publicity, who knows ... a possible Friday night fete soon? Who say DV8 Tampa? And in due time, perhaps a TRIBE Ignite Carnival Thursday? Okay, okay ... one step at a time. Now we know this is not Miami, NY, DC or Toronto, but a lot is desired for the actual Road Parade. Yes masqueraders have a great time (as you can tell from the photos), but the route is very short and the size/number of mas bands is very small. Which really shifts Tampa Bay into a more of a "Caribbean Festival" instead of a "Caribbean Carnival". That said, we've got to big up all the Orlando massive that support Tampa's Carnival. You guys really make the road! It might be a good idea for Tampa Bay to team up with the Atlanta & South Florida (Miami/Broward) Carnival Committees to get some of their mas bands (and masqueraders) involved. One Generation X or Mascots International mas band joining in on the Tampa Bay action can easliy shift the whole paradigm of this 'carnival.' George and the entire Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival committee, once again we thank you for your hospitality. We had a nice time and will definitely continue to support and promote the culture & carnival in Tampa. Keep up the good work!
TJJ
will see you guys next year, ==================================== |
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But, the TJJ Carnival Guru's needed to experience everything first hand, in order
to give you a proper evaluation, so on we go.
