Advertise


D'Carnival Corner

ATLANTA CARNIVAL 2011 COVERAGE
» Photo Galleries  » Carnival » Atlanta  » 2011

E-mail this page to a friendE-mail to a friend
Galleries
Atlanta J'Ouvert 2011 (Atlanta)
Atlanta J'Ouvert 2011

May 27th, 2011

Like any Carnival... the parties weeks before set the tone!

The 7th Annual Cooler Fete kicked things off on May 21st. Even prior to that, the Atlanta Caribbean Carnival Princess, Junior Princess and Queen Pageant was staged and truly got the ball rolling for the 2011 Atlanta Carnival celebrations.

On Friday May 27th 2011, The Atrium off of Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain, gave true meaning to the word 'Jouvert' ... a French term to mean 'The Beginning'. The Annual J'Ouvert hosted by Krushmore Entertainment could not keep party or carnival goers away. This yearly event, known for having two rooms (one Soca and one Reggae) began the 'no rest for the wicked' weekend. That's right.... from Friday night, if you felt the need to sleep at any point, then you were not a true Carnival baby... because, if you were there... you would know that "The Party Now Start!"

And as the hours passed by, the hundreds of patrons inside the Atrium did not want to leave but knew they had to go home and get their costumes ready for the road. And guess what? So did we! Well we didn't have carnival costumes but had our TJJ Media tees (our year round costume) ready, our media passes were in place, we ironed our 3/4 khaki pants, shades in check, ensured batteries were charged & sufficient, and cameras were ready to snap away!

With little rest between (getting in at 7am and leaving the hotel room at 10am), the TJJ Crew headed for Downtown ATL ready to kick off the 23rd Atlanta Caribbean Carnival Parade of the Bands.

Parking was not as easy as we had hoped but we had to convince an ATL Police Officer that we were really important to the ATL Carnival. At one point he couldn't care. But after presenting our credentials and such, I'm sure the officer will be looking for himself on the website!! Anyway, after a short ride to the beginning of the parade, we met many of the bands putting on their finishing touches.... United Ramblers, Madd Colors, We Kinda Ting, United for Haiti, Lords and Ladies of Paradise, to the Jeanie Morris School of Dance... everyone was getting ready.

Even the DJ trucks were fine tuning their systems to ensure the music was right. At 12noon, the show was on. The masqueraders wined, chipped and palanced through the streets of Downtown Atlanta to the variety of Caribbean music. Many Caribbean islands were represented in song and dance which made this Carnival a truly special event. At the end of the parade, the Atlanta Caribbean Carnival Bandleaders Association (ACCBA) put on a fantastic show at their Festival Village for the thousands of patrons on hand to witness the spectacular thing we call "Carnival". With special guests such as Tallpree, Skinny Fabulous, Jadine, Benjai, Iwer George, Mia Davis, Burning Flames and a host of others, to the variety of DJ's on hand, all gracing the stage, the entire Caribbean was represented. The event was without major incident, hundreds of vendors provided a variety of foods, the patrons were treated to a spectacular show and we were right there to capture it all .... what else can one ask for? Well done ACCBA!

With the Parade of the Bands and the concert at the Festival Village ending at 9pm, it was time to do two things... (1) Find out who won the game between Manchester United vs Barcelona, and (2) Get ready for Carnival Explosion. To be honest, after finding out the score, it was expected. Sorry Man U readers. But what we did not expect, was the treat we were about to receive. Once again we headed to The Atrium ... but this time, to witness an All Star cast that gave stellar performances on that night. And if you are counting... that's right! Little to NO SLEEP! Either way... we were ready for action. You guys know that TJJ are the "Carnival Gurus" and you cannot be a GURU if you like to sleep. With the show starting promptly at 1:30am with Cassie who sang 2011 hit "Town Ting", the line up only got better with Shal Mashall, JW and Blaze, Benjai and Iwer George all following. By 4am, there was only one person who could close a show and keep the hundreds of Soca lovers present, unmoved... yes.... Ms. Alison Hinds! WOW....she was stunning. The crowd front stage and back were literally eating out of her hands! What a fitting end to the Carnival celebrations. But as Santana would say, "WAIT WAIT WAIT ... you have to be joking! We done dey?"

After visiting Kerry and her father for a cookout over in Snellville (btw, the macaroni pie was boss), it was time to get ready!!!! And to the girls from Boston... Kershelle and her crew, who thought that was the end of Atlanta Carnival for 2011, and left for home ... sorry for you guys as you probably missed the best event yet. Yes... the 12th Annual Wear White fete hosted by JT and Associates. Held at the Golden Glide Roller Rink in Decatur, Jillian once again pulled it off. And this time she brought the 2011 Soca Monarch Runner-up to give a performance of a lifetime. Mr. Neil 'Iwer' George, who by the way had just as much rest as the TJJ crew, went all out with the packed crowd, all dressed in white. Prior to Iwer, newcomer Devyn, did a great job as well. Jillian, thanks for the love. Another great event that went down to the wire, we made our way out by 4:30am.

As the first Carnival in North America for the year, Atlanta Caribbean Carnival and the respective events are growing based off their past experience. To all the promoters ACCBA, Krushmore Ent, the Demolition Crew, JT and Associates and many others ... Thank YOU! You did a great job!! You have set the stage for others to follow. Trini Jungle Juice was excited to be there and we were happy to see that this Carnival stood up to the test on this Memorial Day weekend! Collin and Troy... thanks for your help this weekend. What's next for us? Well.... I'm not sure about you but I'm going to check out Houston Carnival!

Joy Juice - Atlanta Carnival 2011

As Always,
Joy Juice .... Out and About!

<< View Carnival Photo Gallery >>

>> Atlanta 2009 Carnival Coverage
>> Atlanta 2008 Carnival Coverage

 
Advertisement