Anyone here played mas for the first time this year? Or anyone brought a friend home for Carnival? What did they think of their first experience?


Well I took my boyfriend home for carnival for the first time and to be honest I was very worried that he'd hate it as he's not into crowds or loud music. Speaking of music, he tries his best to tolerate when I am playing soca, but as he's into indie/alternative/rock I thought that he'd go mad for Carnival. He can't dance and refuses to do more than nod his head when we go to concerts, even while the music is driving me to jump around like a lunatic.

But he loved it. Absolutely loved our culture, the music, the atmosphere, our people. Carnival Monday he learned to chip down the road (an improvement on walking, which he intended to do for both days). By Tuesday night his arms were in the air while singing "Ants Ants Ants" and moving his hips. Yesterday he asked me if I had cds of the songs he'd heard. He also want's to bring a couple of his friends the next time as well.

I have been play mas now for 10 years and I hear you. I am always nervous when I have brought friends with me. Both to TnT and to Barbados. A couple of time I have been lucky like you and they have loved it but on one occassion a friend wanted to go home a quarter way through the parade and it ruined my carnival. I had schooled and warned them what it would be like and diliberately did not take them to jouvert as I knew that may be too much for them. The problem I face for 2010 is that other friends are now too sacred to come with and as I am not a native trini....its my adopted Island I cant just get up and go and stay with my aunty and have a ready made crew of cousins to get on bad with. So you are very lucky he wants to go again and bring people.....have fun.....if the tribe costume prices dont kill us first....lol

Every year I take a few newbies with me and this year all 3 of them had a ball. I have tons of native Trinis that do not want to babysit or like you said stay by family or deal with the drama of costumes and the mas camp. That is why I started my business. So if you want folks to visit but don't want to worry about much of the drama send them our way. www.masqueradersunited.com

We do not include airfare for Trinidad but once they land we aim to give top notch service as their personal carnival consultant with lots of pre arrival advice and extras.
Packages include:Transportation to and from airport, 8 days 7 nights hotel stay, costume and costume pickup and delivery, jouvert, some fetes, and some extras. Check us out. Packages start at 1999

We also going to Miami for Carnival and those prices include airfare from Baltimore to Florida. Check out our Trinidad 2010 and Miami 2009 packages.

Get ready to jump!! Get ready to wave!! Get ready to whine!!