Carnival in the A-T-L, pt 3

Judging from what I saw at the carnival village, I am pretty sure that my father would not have enjoyed himself at Atlanta Carnival. The atmosphere was for the most part very laid back, not high energy or bacchanalian. When we arrived in the performance area, a band that I didn’t recognize was playing Kassav’s “Zouk La Sé Sel Medikaman,” an old, popular zouk song, and one of my favorite songs. A noticeable number of people were dancing and waving their flags to the music, but the majority of the people were standing around watching the performance. There was no jumping, stomping, backing up, or whining down. It seemed more like an outdoor concert than a Caribbean carnival. Everything you need for a good carnival experience was there—people, music, space, and food---, but things didn’t feel right. The carnival spirit seemed to be missing. The tone of an event can have dramatic effects on people’s behavior. If the event is high energy, people will be high energy. For instance, when I would see people jumping up and enjoying themselves at New York Carnival, it would made me want to jump up too. The laid-back vibe at the carnival village made want to just sit back and watch. From a research standpoint, this made it much easier to closely observe the event because there weren’t too many things going on at the same time or anything to distract me from my research duties.

As I looked around, I noticed that the crowd was very diverse, ethnically. I saw flags from St. Kitts & Nevis, Jamaica, Barbados, St. Vincent, Dominica, Antigua & Barbuda, Trinidad & Tobago, US Virgin Islands, Grenada, Belize, St. Lucia, and Haiti. It was very nice to see so many islands, especially the smaller islands, like Dominica, represented at the carnival. Based on the relatively small size of the carnival, and my lack of prior knowledge of it, I assumed that mostly residents of metro Atlanta attended Atlanta Carnival. I didn’t expect anybody, except for the invited artists, to travel to Atlanta for its carnival, like they do to Boston, Washington, D.C., Toronto, and, of course, New York for their carnivals. But, to my surprise, I found that some people do travel to Atlanta to experience its carnival. Nevis and I both ran into people that we knew that traveled from cities in the Northeast to Atlanta for its carnival. Notably, the two people that we ran into, while walking around the carnival village, were attending the carnival for the first time. The person I ran into was a fellow Dominican-American (the second Dominican I had encountered during the 4 days I had been in Atlanta). Similar to me, she heard about the carnival and decided to come down to Atlanta and check it out. In fact, it was the first Atlanta Carnival experience for our entire group---Nevis, Nisha, Janelle, and me. As I mentioned before, I decided to move to Atlanta in late May so that I could be there for the Atlanta Carnival festivities. I thought it would be a perfect way to start my research on Caribbean life in Atlanta, since Atlanta Carnival would allow me to view the pinnacle of Caribbean culture in the southern city.

After about 20 minutes of watching the performers on the stage, we decided to go over to the food stands to get something to eat. Since I paid for Nevis’ entrance into the carnival village, he was paying for my food. We walked back towards the underpass and looked at each food stands’ signs, which advertised the foods they offered. I was attracted to a food stand that offered conch fritters. A month prior, I took a family trip to Nassau, Bahamas, where I first tasted the popular Bahamian dish, conch fritters, and added it to my favorite Caribbean dishes. I pointed out the stand to Nevis and we walked over to it. There wasn’t a line so we immediately ordered. To my dismay, they had run out of conch fritters. This was the only stand that I saw advertising conch fritters, so instead of looking at another stand, I settled for a Jamaican chicken patty.

Nevis and I took our food and ate as we walked back to the performance area of the carnival village. With Nisha and Janelle, we stood at the back of the performance area, directly facing the stage. The mood of the event had changed noticeably: it was livelier. The music was good and people seemed to be having a good time. At points, people were jumping up and waving their flags, creating a rainbow of bright colors bouncing in the hot Atlanta air. Unfortunately, we had missed the performance of my cousin’s band, WCK. We did see Trini Jacobs and The Red Hot Flames, but besides them, we had not seen any of the big artists, such as Destra Garcia and Denise Belfon, that we were advertised to perform. The MC kept saying that these artists were going to perform soon, but the hours passed and they had yet to perform.

By 8pm, it had started to drizzle and Nevis, Janelle, and I were ready to go. Nisha decided to stay because she wanted to see if the other artists were going to perform, but Nevis, Janelle, and I had seen enough. I later found out from Nisha, who stayed until 10pm, that the rest of the artists did perform, but during the last 30 minutes of the carnival, for 2-5 minutes each and that the MCs encouraged the crowd to attend specific clubs, which were charging up to $40, to see full-length performances of the artists. Though the carnival had its moments of energy and excitement, I thought it was quite tame. I was hoping for a day of excitement, good music, happy, shiny people, and great food and I only got it in bits and pieces. The pre-Carnival parties were fun and exciting, but the carnival itself didn’t match their energy and excitement. Atlanta Carnival was over, but the Carnival festivities were far from over. Janelle, Nevis, and I left the carnival village and headed back to our respective homes to get ready for the post-Carnival parties that were taking place later that night.

One Love

Carnival in the A-T-L, pt 2

Dressed in black shorts and a green, red, and yellow (colors commonly associated with the Caribbean) t-shirt, that had on it Dominica’s flag next to a picture of beach scene (a coconut tree on a mound of sand under the sun), I was ready for my first Atlanta Carnival experience. When Nevis and I drove into the downtown area, near West Peachtree Street, where the carnival was supposed to take place, we didn’t see any signs that indicated a Caribbean carnival was occurring there: no music, no masqueraders, no signs/banners, no crowds of people seemingly walking towards or away from a common destination, and no extra police officers on the street. Nothing. In New York, as soon as you get within a few blocks from Eastern Parkway, where the New York Carnival takes place, you are inundated with images, sounds, and smells indicating that you are at or approaching the carnival. The sounds of soca, calypso, kompa, and various other Caribbean musics fill the streets, traveling from the large speakers tied tightly to each band’s truck as they slowly roll down the parkway. The smell of Caribbean dishes, such as curry goat, jerk chicken, and oxtail, from the many food stands waft through the air, enticing those walking by to stop and eat.

But, we didn’t encounter these things as we approached the carnival area. As we drove around downtown Atlanta looking for cheap parking, it looked a bit deserted. There were several cars in each parking lot we passed, but there were few people on the street---early signs that this carnival was going to be very different from what I was used to. After 10 minutes of driving around, we found $5 all day parking several blocks away from the carnival village, which was at the intersection of Jesse Hill Jr Drive and Auburn Avenue. We waited there for another 10 minutes for Nevis’ friend Janelle. Soon after she arrived, we made our way towards the carnival village. As we got closer to Auburn Avenue, I slowly spotted small groups of people—men, women, and children---walking in the same direction as us. Looking more closely at the people, I saw that some were holding Caribbean flags or wearing apparel with a Caribbean country’s name or flag on it. When we were a block away from Auburn Avenue, I finally saw the first major sign that an event was happening there: police officers and barricades. We walked around the barricades. After a few steps I finally saw vendor stands and a crowd of people. The music began to fill the air. My heart started to race because I was finally going to experience Atlanta Carnival.

At the intersection of Jesse Hill Jr. Drive and Auburn Avenue, there were metal barricades and table with three seated people at it, collecting the $10 entrance fee for the carnival village. Facing the cashier table, there was a long line of people waiting to pay and enter the carnival village. We walked along the intersection and joined the end of the line. As we waited, Nevis’ friend Nisha joined us in the line, and after 10 minutes, we reached the front of the line. Janelle and Nisha paid and entered the carnival village. I approached the cashier table and the hiccup that always seems to happen when I enter a line happened—they ran out of change, as I am about to give them my $20 dollar bill. I couldn’t believe it. How can you run an event where you collect money and not carry enough cash to give change, especially when the fee is $10 and most ATMs only give out $20 dollar bills? To avoid standing in line any longer, while they scrambled to find change, I paid them $20 so that Nevis and I could enter.


On each side of Auburn Avenue, a two-lane cobblestone street, there were small crowds of people standing around vendor stands, selling cds, dvds, clothing, and crafts. After several feet, the vendor stands turned into food stands, which were located under a highway underpass. We walked past the stands towards the other side of the carnival village. As we passed the food stands, the smell of different island foods filled the air. Many of the stands offered similar Caribbean dishes, such as curry chicken, curry goat, oxtail, patties, and jerk chicken. A few offered fruit smoothies, Caribbean icies (snow cones), and curry crab legs (so yummy!!). One stand was selling funnel cake (or fried dough, for my New Englanders), which is not a Caribbean dish but is common at outdoor events, such as street fairs or amusement parks. Although my stomach was rumbling, I decided to wait until I saw the entire carnival village before I ate.


On the other side of the underpass, there was a stage in the middle of a circular area. Scattered around the stage, there was a few more food stands and a large crowd of people. A band was performing on the stage and people, young and old, were swaying to the sounds and waving flags from various Caribbean islands, including my beloved nature island, Dominica. Although the carnival was smaller, from the crowd to the space, than I was used to, I was happy to see Caribbean culture represented in Atlanta. An ethnic festival or parade is major signifier of a group’s presence in a locality.


To put together an ethnic parade or festival, you need sponsors, city permits, and a significant number of attendees to justify the event. Locations of Caribbean carnivals, outside of the Caribbean, map out the growing Afro-Caribbean Diaspora: New York (the largest), Miami, London, Toronto, Boston, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Atlanta, to name a few. The fact that Atlanta’s carnival is over 20 years old is very telling about its history with Caribbean migrants. It means that there has been a significant concentration of Afro-Caribbeans in Atlanta since the late 1980s. I had never heard of Atlanta Carnival until I started doing preliminary research for my project in 2009. However, unbeknownst to me, my father (Mr. Carnival), who has traveled to various Caribbean carnivals from Canada to the Caribbean, knew about Atlanta Carnival for several years but had never attended.

Carnival in the A-T-L, pt 1

After three nights of jumping up, whining down, and drinking rum, the day I was waiting for finally arrived—Carnival day in Atlanta. Though I got home at 7am from partying all night at the non-wet fete, I was excited about hitting “de road” and jumping up in a band. Despite a weary body and slightly red eyes, I was ready to hit the road at 11:30am. I called Nevis but he didn’t pick up. I assumed (correctly as I would find out later) that he was asleep, since after partying all night, he also had to drop everyone home. Normally, I would have been in bed too after a long night but I couldn’t sleep if I wanted to jump up in “de band”. I found out that unlike New York’s Carnival, or even Boston’s Carnival, Atlanta’s Carnival had bands on the road for only 2 hours (yes I said 2 hours, it is not a typo), and not all day (i.e., 6am -7pm). According to its website, Atlanta Carnival consisted of two parts—the parade of bands (12pm-2pm) and carnival village (10am-10pm).

Before I continue, I will explain what I mean by bands for those who don’t know. In Caribbean carnivals, bands usually consist of two major parts: 1) the live band and 2) the masqueraders. The band (or in some cases, DJ system) plays on top of a large flatbed truck, while the masqueraders are on the road either in front or behind the truck, dancing and showcasing their costumes to onlookers, as they parade down the carnival route (this is commonly referred to as “playing mas”). Masquerader costumes range from large, masterfully built costumes, which a masquerader stands in and pushes around, to coordinated t-shirts. Since I was a little girl “playing mas” with my preschool class in Dominica, I understood “playing mas” as being the oldest and the largest part of carnival.

I was shocked, and extremely disappointed, when I found out that at a carnival that was over 20 years old, the parade of bands was such a small part of the carnival experience. I really wanted to see the parade of bands and masqueraders, but I realized that it would be a waste of time to rush Nevis out of bed to go see it. It was 11:30am; by the time, we drove down there, found parking, and found the carnival route, the parade would probably be over. The only thing that I would realistically be able to attend is the carnival village. It was open all day (until 10pm) and was supposed to have food, arts, crafts, and performances by various soca and calypso artists, including WCK (DA MASSIVE!!!), The Red Hot Flames, Denise Belfon, and many others. The carnival village is an integral part of most Caribbean carnivals. In Dominica, the village hosts the majority of the other carnival events, including all-night concerts, the Calypso King competition (music competition), and the Carnival Queen pageants (special shout out to my mummy and my cousins Samirah and Michelle who have won the title of Carnival Queen/Teen Queen). So, attending the carnival village seemed like a good way to get a sense of the carnival experience in Atlanta, especially since it made up the majority of Atlanta Carnival.

Around 4pm, Nevis picked me up and we made our way down to downtown Atlanta for the carnival. Since neither of us had ever attended Atlanta Carnival before, we didn’t know what to expect. We had been on “de road” together at several New York Carnivals in the past 5 years and had similar views about (American) Caribbean carnivals. We both revel in jumping up in several bands as we make our down the carnival route. So, when I tell you about what we found, you will understand why it disappointed both of us.