Repeating Islands

2013 Band of the Year champion Brian MacFarlane gave an emotional farewell to Carnival stages in T&T as he led his last presentation titled Joy The Finale. Last October, MacFarlane announced that 2013 would be his last year participating in Carnival. He is expected to lead a T&T band in Brazil next year at the opening of the FIFA World Cup, as Trinidad and Tobago’s Guardian reports.

MacFarlane said T&T Carnival was “not the greatest show on earth” as has been claimed by citizens for several years. He said: “We keep talking about how we have the greatest show on earth…We don’t! Rubbish! We don’t have the greatest show on earth. We have the greatest street party in the world.”

MacFarlane said based on the developments taking place in Rio de Janeiro, “we can’t touch them.” He said the costumes in Brazil were elaborate and people are trained at Samba…

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The Quotidian Hudson

I have never been in NOLA for Mardi Gras although I have visited many times for Jazz Fest and spent a glorious New Year’s Eve at Tipitina’s. As Elvis probably demonstrated yesterday, I am spending some time rifling through old photo books trying to decide which pictures are worth my digging out the negatives and scanning into a digital file.

This project, I assume, will take me the rest of my natural life and half of Abigail’s were she to pick up the ball, which I surely hope she does not. Do check back in 20 or 30 years to see how the project is coming.

In any event in honor of Fat Tuesday (which as a friend of mine put it should be followed by: “Don’t You Look Slender Wednesday”) a few NOLA pictures from deep in the last decade of the previous century. The first two are…

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Repeating Islands

One of the biggest days in the Caribbean calendar, the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, has drawn to a close, bringing its usual display of dazzling costumes and energetic celebrations, ibtimes.co.uk reports.

Taking place every year on the two days before Ash Wednesday, the street party sees a panoply of costumed bands flooding the streets.

The Carnival kicked off on Monday with a street party known as J’ouvert, which sees thousands of people doused in oil, mud, paint and liquid chocolate partying in the street.

This was followed by the main event on the Tuesday, where thousands of people dressed up in elaborate costumes performed onstage for their chance to be crowned Masquerade Band of the Year, a huge honour on the Caribbean island.

While the Carnival officially takes place on the two days before the start of Lent, people traditionally begin the party months prior, starting as early as Christmas time…

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