PHOTOS + RECAP: Miami Carnival 2014

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Miami Carnival 2014 - Oct. 12, 2014.
Miami Carnival 2014 - Oct. 12, 2014.
Masquerader at Miami Carnival 2014.  Photo:  RedCarpetShelley.com
Masquerader at Miami Carnival 2014. Photo: RedCarpetShelley.com

Due to a rescheduled Miami Dolphins at home football game, the Miami Broward One Carnival celebrated its 30th anniversary at a new venue located 20 miles south of Sun Life Stadium at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition.  This Columbus Day Weekend was the  sixth consecutive year that the two counties have come together for one big party after years of hosting separate, competing carnivals on the same day.

30th Anniversary of Miami Carnival took place on October 12, 2014.  Photo:  RedCarpetShelley.com
30th Anniversary of Miami Carnival took place on October 12, 2014. Photo: RedCarpetShelley.com

The J’ouvert celebration was held in Broward County at the Central Broward Regional Park on Saturday October 11 from 7am-3pm.  This correspondent, you can call me Ms. Fete (because I never miss one yet!!!) could not make it the park for 7am, but got there at 11.30am and stayed until the end at about 3pm.

Young and old partook in the J'ouvert paint and mud festivities during Miami Carnival weekend.
Young and old partook in the J’ouvert paint and mud festivities during Miami Carnival weekend.

It was great to see all the revelers  in their mud and paint and when one gentleman looked at my t-shirt, deciding it was too pristine proceeded to plant purple painted handprints on my arms and on the back of my shirt.  Red Carpet Shelley herself was also at J’ouvert and worked (and partied!) at the same time.  CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL JOUVERT PHOTOS.

That's me handprints and all!
That’s me handprints and all!

I attend carnivals all over the world including Trinidad, Rio in Brazil, and while those carnivals are great,  I really enjoy Miami-Broward Carnival and have not missed one in 10 years.  It is one of the best in North America and people fly in from all over to attend.

Miami Carnival 2014 - Oct. 12, 2014.
Miami Carnival 2014 – Oct. 12, 2014.

The Labor Day Carnival in Brooklyn is always great but a big difference is that while the parade is free on Eastern Parkway, you have to pay $50 and up at the Brooklyn Museum to see shows with the soca stars. In Miami, you pay about $27 and you get to see masqueraders crossing the stage, vendors with food, drink, clothes, crafts, you can jump in a band and close the night with a soca show with superstars from across the Caribbean.

On Carnival Sunday night, we saw a slew of the Caribbean’s hottest acts including Red Hot Flames and Ricardo Drue.  Drue, the Soca Monarch from Antigua, sang his hit Vagabond.  MC Wassy was New York is always a lively MC and got the crowd going.  He is actually a very good singer.  One of the highlights of the show was Mr. Killa from Grenada with his hit Rolly Polly,  Mr. Killa is not too big a man…but nonetheless he brought the lovely, curvacious, and sexy Simone on stage and proceeded to lift her up.  Needless to say, the crowd went wild.  Everyone should watch the Rolly Polly video!  The Miami Carnival performers included: Red Hot Flames Dil-E-Nadan, Pumpa, Iwer George, Ricardo Drue, Skinny Banton, Breasman,  Scrouge & StageMuzik, Patrice Roberts, Farmer Nappy, and Kerwin Dubois.  One of my favorite bands is Dil-E-Nadan, their lead singer Raymond is the 2013 Chutney Soca Monarch.  They are well known for doing reggae and and chutney covers.  I saw them several times over this carnival season and they were excellent every time.

The concert ended with the reigning Groovy Soca Monarch Kerwin DuBois.  Overall, It was a great carnival unfortunately, there was one casualty on the road. RCS extends condolences to the friends and family of

Enjoy the pics!

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