Dr. Rhadi Ferguson aka The Carnival Doctor

If there is one party that I do without fail during Miami Carnival it is the ValeVibe Breakfast fete, affectionately known as, “Vale.”  I do Vale every year because Vale never disappoints and this year was no different.

During Orlando Carnival there is one fete that you should never miss and that fete is… The ILan All Inclusive Fete.

Positioned against the beautiful landscape of Rollins College right next to Virginia Lake, the iLan fete is located in an atmosphere that looks like it was plucked out of Trinidad and dropped into the middle of Florida.

How To Get The Small Island Experience In A Big Way... Through A Luxury Soca Experience

Did you know that the British Virgin Islands, also known as the BVI consists of islands, bays and cays which make up an are called the British West Indies?

Some of the most famous parts of the BVI are Tortola, Jost van Dyke and Virgin Gorda.  The islands and beaches of the BVI are pristine and a thing of beauty. If you have never visited, partied or experienced the BVI then you are missing one of the treasures of the Caribbean.  

It’s no understatement when people say that there is really no place that is quite like the BVI. It’s true. 

CARIBBEAN YACHT WEEK...... A Luxury Soca Vacation!

Imagine an eight day and seven night experience with your friends on a luxury yacht with soca music playing in your ears, the sweet smell of salt water aromatically filling the air and comforts of a 5 star hotel with personal chef service at your fingertips.  

Then imagine a loosely structured, non-mandatory but fully accessible schedule of activities such as swimming, snorkeling, shopping and partying the night away while island hopping throughout the British Virgin Islands.  

Each yacht is staffed by an expert boat captain and a gourmet chef to provide catered meals during your stay. And what’s a week of soca, fetting and dining without a fully stocked bar?  So yes, your yacht has a fully stocked bar as well. 

All the details throughout the week are handled for you.

Now this sound like something that I’m interested in.

You’ve partied.
You’ve limed.
You’ve danced.
You’ve jumped up.
You’ve waved.
You’ve Wined down.
You’ve “Wet it up.”
You’ve followed the “mass ova deh.” 
And you’ve done everything in between. 
You had ah time so it’s all good.

For the second year in a row I was blown away, amazed and more than pleased with this fete. As I do all fetes that I review, I walked around and viewed the signage, the food stations, the bar serving process and the bathrooms.  And just like last year the ILan fete met my expectations and surpassed them.

Miami, FL - July 4, 2017 - The fireworks started early in South Florida. And you knew this if you experienced the titillating rhythms, subtle drumbeats present in the interstices of silence, the hard hitting bass, syncopated melodies, the oh-so-sweet sound of soca and the hypnotic cyclical sounds of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) at Electric Karnival in the historic Virginia Key section of south Florida at Virginia Key Beach Park on the 3rd of July.

The bubbling, wining and waving was married with bouncing, jumping, and fist pumping as the genres and communities of EDM and Soca were blended in an official capacity in a festival for the first time ever. The promoters, DJs, performers and attendees had an opportunity to be a part of history as Electric Karnival superseded all expectations Monday night.

In the EDM community there is a motto which they live by and support and that is one of "PLUR."  It stands for PEACE, LOVE, UNITY and RESPECT.  And for me, July 3rd cannot come fast enough. I cannot wait to jump up and experience another "Karnival" for the year and share some good vibes with good people.

Electric Karnival is ~not a fete or a party~. It is a music festival, an experience, a life event created by Caribbean people for Caribbean people in order to enhance and improve our culture and promote diversity.   It was also created for YOU. Because Electric Karnival is We.  And we are more than rum, road, soca and fetes. We are a movement. We are ELECTRIC.

If you've jammed to Machel's "Waiting On The Stage" or Major Lazer's "Soung Bang" featuring Machel, then you have been jammin' to the hybrid fusion of Soca and EDM that we call Caribbean Dance Music (CDM) which is literally doing one of the best things that we can do right now in life... And that's not blend genres of music, but that's blend different groups of people. And I love how music brings us all together.