Dominica Carnival!


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Central America Caribbean » Dominica » Roseau
February 6th 2008
Published: February 9th 2008
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For 3 days the police close 4 roads in a square through Roseau. The town is small so this almost closes the place to traffic completely. The timetable then goes something like…

Monday 4am to 9am - Juvey: Music and dancing to see the dawn come. Not one for us! We arrived in Roseau around 9 and saw the aftermath, this is the start of Carnival and it looks like the morning after a bad party. Everyone looks drunk. These people know how to enjoy themselves. There is a lull and we watch the parade preparing to move off. Make-shift bars are set up on the streets every 10 yards, we hold off and have our first drink at midday.

Monday midday - Parade: Costumes, Kings, Queens and more music. Great atmosphere. The music comes from articulated lorries piled high with speakers (each has a guy on top to lift power cables over the equipment), some with DJs some with live bands.

Monday 4pm to 10pm - Jump Up: More music and the streets full of dancing. Everything moves around the streets at a snail’s pace, the trucks gently pushing the crowd forwards.

Tuesday midday - Parade: More costumes and more music.

Tuesday 2pm onwards - The T-shirt bands: In Dominica they listen to Dominican music, incredible when you think the population is only 70 thousand. 6 local bands occupy the trucks and play around the circuit. Ours was Triple Kay, even bought the T-shirt.

Exhausted, we were in bed at 10.30 on Tuesday night.



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23rd February 2009

D.A. Carnival
Just thought I'd say that your comments are rather negative. It sounds like you were both forced to attend the carnival. Dominicans listen to a variety of music and not just "Dominican music". Reggae is widely played and well as pop...they just love Celine Dion! Only at carnival time is Domincan music promoted due to the calypso shows where a Tent King is eventually crowned. You would have recognised the significance of this if you had attended any one of the calypso shows! All that said, I'm glad you both enjoyed yourselves. You should try the Creole Festival held in October for more fun. Though only go if you can keep up with the Dominicans!
26th March 2009

A reply to Ruby
You seem to have got the wrong idea Ruby. On Dominican music - we are positively amazed that a population of just 70,000 can produce half a dozen professional bands and that (in a world dominated by Anglo-American pop) this dominates in Dominica. We have Triple Kay t-shirts and we are MFR fans. We love Dominica and we love Carnival.
11th June 2009

thanks
hello my name is millancia i would like to thank you for going to dominica you see not many people know where over half the population in england think dominica is in africa anyway i hoped you enjoyed it i was born in dominica but barely went to carnival (to rough)

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