Thousands of revelers, 22 bands, great Caribbean food, bottomless drinks, paint, powder, foam, and water churned out millions of smiles and vibes to fill the Carnival Village North at Central Broward Park, for this year’s staging of the Miami Carnival Official J’ouvert.
The event was incident-free for the most part over its eight-hour duration.
- Advertisement -
From first-time revelers to birthday revelers to seasoned revelers, this 2024, the Miami Broward One Carnival Host Committee along with Visit Lauderdale and sponsor Carib, did not disappoint.
Of the patrons interviewed as they exited the Lauderhill venue, the general consensus was: “It was great!”
One female reveler, who repped Haiti and Jamaica, put it succinctly, “Definitely come to Miami Carnival. It is a vibe. The people are a vibe. The food is a vibe. Everything is just a vibe. Come and fete in Miami!”
Men and women of all ages from a slew of the Caribbean islands echoed her sentiments sharing, “It was amazing”, “It was beautiful, perfect, the best”, “It was great”, “I enjoyed myself a lot”, and “The vibes were here and once the vibes are here, I’m here and that’s all that matters”.
The participating bands included Wassi Ones, Riverland Mas, J’ouvert Express, Bajan Fuh Evah, Dutty Pleasures, Savage Mas, Natural Disasters, Ram Jam For Life, Jamdong, Lilly White, D’Junction, Limers International, Revel Nation, Gen X, Break Awae Kru’, Red Antz Miami, Ramajay/J’ouvert Nile, Euphoria Mas, Freaks Mas, One Island Big and Strong, and Fusion Mas.
This year, the number of bands involved remained consistent and with Miami Carnival celebrating 40 years, some of the stalwarts have truly built up brand loyalty.
But what makes the Miami Carnival J’ouvert different from the J’ouverts in the Caribbean?
For starters, the time for the J’ouvert is 7:00 am to 3:00 pm. It does not happen at night or in the wee hours of the morning in Florida. Luckily, the weather was perfect. There was a sprinkle of rain and cloudy overcast skies kept the sun at bay.
Secondly, it is classic to see the flag man at the start of a big fete but it was surprising to see him inundated with requests from customers. That usually only happens in the Caribbean when the Caribbean Premier League is playing. But, as one person puts it, “If there is one thing you must do in foreign, is buy a flag and represent in the fete. We’re not home anymore and so we have to make people know where we are from.”
Then, just as at the entry the flag man was the most popular vendor, afterward when the foam had settled, the paint had dried, and for many the shoes came off, it was long lines for coconut water, bake, and salt fish, roti, jerk chicken and corn soup. Caribbean vendors were also selling fresh fruits like mango, snow cones, and cocktail treats.
For many Caribbean migrants, it was the first time in a long time that they had cut coconut and drank water or ate jelly straight from the coconut. One vendor even had sugar cane which he peeled and cut up for his customers.
The vendors with foods and drinks that were authentically Caribbean kept people entertained, fed, and busy before they made their way to their cars, the free park n’ ride coaches, or their Lyft and Uber rides. CMC
