I wasn’t always involved in the Antigua Carnival festivities, but when I started to participate I found enjoyment in experiencing everything. For me mas is the icing on my Carnival. This year I tried my very best to stay away, but the allure of it all kept pulling me in, so I signed up, and now I am overly excited to hit the road Carnival Monday and Tuesday.

I asked a few friends and acquaintances to share with me their beloved Carnival experiences and I was quite surprised at how different yet similar their stories were. They all expressed sentiments about the sights, sound and feel of our summer festival in such away that I couldn’t help but smile. There might be so many things lacking in our Carnival and a great need for improvement, but in spite of it all many of the festival’s participants still uphold the spirit of the greatest summer festival. These are some of their stories.

For some, their joy is wrapped up in the sweet surprise that they had been missing out on something fantastic.

“The last session of Jam Session was my best carnival experience of 2011 so far as it was the first time. I’ve ever been, I’ve always had this bad stigma about the event, but no longer.  I got there just in time to see my two favourite artists. 1) Tian Winter; I so wanted to “Crash” through the crowd and get up on stage with him.  2) ‘I Just Can’t Wait’ was the feeling I had when Tizzy & El-A-Kru came on stage and done “The Spot” Antigua Carnival 2011 ITNARGUHNORMAL!” - Joey McKenzie - entrepreneur

Participation in Antigua Carnival encompasses the spectators just like it does the revelers, and the simplest things combined with fellowship provides just the right dose of fun. This was the testimony of the next individual:

“There are so many, but I think one that will always stand out for me is taking my daughter to Children's Carnival with my good friend and her son. It was nice doing the "mommy" thing, and I remember being down that day, and seeing those two kids become so excited about carnival just lifted my spirits so much - reminded me about one of the true meanings - good times with good friends and family. " - Zahra Airall -  teacher, writer, photographer

Then you have the masqueraders, whose Carnival is packaged in the holiday Monday and Tuesday. The buildup to those two days completes the season like no other. It was actually quite amusing to see the next two contributors attest to their mas fulfillment enjoyed with a particular band whose first year on the road is remains unforgettable to this day:

“My most memorable carnival experience would have to be with the 2008 Myst Mas troupe.  Being an admitted carnival junkie, I was intoxicated by the vibe of the whole troupe on that Monday after the introduction of the Monday wear. It made for an enhanced mas playing experience and lifted me to a level of enjoyment that I didn't know was attainable.  The Tuesday was almost as intoxicating (no alcohol either day)." - Asha Christian-Philip - Special Projects Coordinator in the Ministry of Information

“One of my fav carnival memories was in Carnival Monday 2008. It was the first year that Myst was on the road and they just had this incredible vibe because the band was new and fairly small. I remember Super Hero by Red Hot Flames playing and a bunch of us just running up and down High Street, arms perched out like 'super heroes' just having a completely fun and carefree time. I love the fact that for one time in the year you can act like a complete fool on a public street without being claimed by the mental asylum. I love carnival!!” - Floree Williams – author

Many Carnival goers make sure that they experience and enjoy most, if not all, of the different scheduled events during the festival. From the all-inclusive fetes to the free jam sessions. A combination of all optimizes the exuberance of it all. A true Carnival enthusiast lists her favorite events:

1. Signing up for mas with MYST with my sisters. We’ve been with Myst for a strong 4 years and counting, every year it gets better.
2. Watching Tian perform on stage at Heelz, I am so darn proud of him doing his thing. He has arrived and will take the world by storm.
3. Tee shirt mas with Myst.
4. Jam Corner.
5. Watching the quarter and semi finals for Soca Monarch. The local talent is insane, and mas is gonna be awesome!

 - Shiniki George –  proud Carnival fanatic

For some, protecting and nurturing the true cultural aspect of Carnival is very important. In cases such as these, paying homage to pan is inevitable:

“My best experience has been and will always be panorama. There's nothing like the excitement and anticipation that one feels just before going onstage, and this feeling mounts as you hear the count off to start playing the song. Everything that you've worked so hard for comes down to this one moment in time that lasts for about 8 minutes. This is not only the best carnival experience that one can have but if you win, it becomes the best experience of the year.” - Esther Edwards –  teacher, member of Gemonites Steel Orchestra

The best of our festival is wrapped up in reminiscence, and the stories will continue to filter down to the next generation as a reminder that we are our experiences;

“Carnival is mas...miss it whenever I'm not in it...since seeing my mom in the mas (Fire and Ice) - the costumes were so inventive and massive then ... to my days as a majorette as a kid, rehearsals and hitting the streets in formation :-) playing with Dynamics for the first time as a teen and for many years after that, later with Xtreme (their first year) and Solid (their first year, and my last mas experience to date)...always feel the pangs on Carnival Tuesday when the mas goes by if I'm not in it ...jumping like there's no tomorrow, in the sun, in the rain, and just feeling it and not wanting it to end. My favourite is a blend of those experiences (and the after-experiences) and, also at the edge of my mind, the first year Flames hit the scene ...was really little still but I remember jamming behind them with my mom and sister and with various cast of friends in the years after...jam pond was a must and we couldn't get enough of them...earlier still as a little kid, being woken up at the crack of dawn because my mom had returned from her night of feting to take us to j'ouvert, the crush of bodies and the odd characters that populated the streets (it was its own mad brand of theatre...the delightfully scary jam bull was still around then and one man band and others) ...as a kid, the new calypsos firing my imagination; the imagery of the words from Chalice's Nightmare Party to Obsti's Children Melee...and of course anything by my favourite Short Shirt and the always exciting Swallow and Latumba ... it was creative and full of meaning in a way it isn't now...and at the same time fun carn done.” -  Joanne Hillhouse – writer, author

Carnival in Antigua comes just once a year, and it serves as an opportunity for family and friends, both here on the island and overseas the opportunity to remember why it is always important to value traditions and history. Our Carnival has changed in some cases for the better in other cases for the worse, but one thing still holds true, the great memories won’t fade.

Continue to make the memories, continue to share the memories and remember to pass on all the great traditions that have molded us as a free people.

From us at 365antigua.com we wish you a wonderful and safe Carnival weekend.

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Linisa George is a blogger, writer, poet, playwright and director; an all-round creative soul bursting with energy. Visit her blog ‘Motives and Thoughts’ at www.linisageorge.blogspot.com.

**All photos have been randomly inserted from past Carnival parades & jump-ups and are not of the individuals quoted within Linisa's column.