Partying in DC: Caribbean Style
Posted on 03. Jul, 2010 by admin in Arts and Culture
In the midst of a sweltering summer, Washington, DC once again caught fire during the last weekend of June. Carnival time had come again!
D.C. may not have the grandest or most notable carnival in the US but we damn sure do a good job with what we have. In DC, Carnival has grown in leaps and bounds in the last decade, not only in size but in quality and overall enjoyment.
For 2010, let’s start not at the beginning but at the best. Indigo. Say it with me…Indigo! This fete was Mad! Mad! Mad! Gorgeous people, tasty food, free flowing drinks and most importantly…music cahn dun! It was held at the posh Decatur House but from the behavior of the aforementioned gorgeous people, you would have thought that you were partying in someone’s back yard. Oh wait! We were. In President Obama’s backyard to be precise.
If it is one fete that is not to be missed, it is Indigo. Much love goes out to Gresham Entertainment for bringing us this premier event for the 3rd consecutive year.
By the time Indigo rolls around on Carnival Sunday morning, you’ve hopefully been feting nonstop since Thursday. It’s a serious ting! This year the unofficial kick-off for this IVM staffer was at Crossroads with an outdoor lime that featured a very nice live band and everybody’s favorite… DJ Spyda. You know that at Crossroads you’re always going to get quality entertainment, good food and even better vibes.
Friday night if you left your house you needed to be heading one place and one place only…MACHEL!!!! The King himself graced us with his presence once again and we in turn showed our love and appreciation. He performed for a massive crowd at RFK Stadium and did not in any way disappoint. We jumped. And waved. And jumped. And waved. And when it was finally over we had sweated out our clothes and screamed out our voices. The man is a machine. We don’t know where he gets the energy to perform for almost two hours but ultimately we don’t care. We just love the man, and he loves us back. We know because he yelled it several times during the show.
Kudos to Gresham Entertainment for bringing us Machel and making us forget what a fiasco last year’s DV8 fete was. And stay tuned to this station for an interview with Machel, Skinny Fabulous and Patrice Roberts.
After sleeping for what might have been 3 hours we were back at it again on Georgia Ave. playing mass on Saturday morning. The bands got started late, (shocking I know) but when we finally did get on the road we jammed like it was our last opportunity to do so. It was pure action! Even though we wished the route was longer and the costumes were fancier and the mass bands were more organized, ultimately, it’s our carnival time and so we do the do with what we have.
Saturday night we rolled through Soca in Motion which featured Bunji, Faye Ann and Edwin Yearwood. The show was no comparison to Machel but it was enjoyable all the same. Big ups to Faye Ann for maintaining that banging body of hers. Good gracious!
So we started Thursday night at Crossroads and now we’re wrapping up Sunday evening at Zanzibar for the free appreciation fete. Now where these people get the energy to party till midnight this IVM reporter can not say, but party till midnight they did! The Zanzibar Carnival wrap up fete was completely enjoyable. A perfect end to another fantastic Carnival season in Washington, DC.
See you next year!
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