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D'Carnival Corner

GRENADA SPICE MAS 2010 COVERAGE
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Galleries
Spice Mas Carnival Monday Parade 2010 (Grenada)
Spice Mas Monday Parade

August 9th, 2010
Spice Mas J'ouvert 2010 (Grenada)
Spice Mas J'ouvert 2010

August 9th, 2010
 Dimanche Gras 2010 (Grenada)
Dimanche Gras 2010

August 8th, 2010
Rotary Club Fete 2010 (Grenada)
Rotary Club Fete 2010

August 8th, 2010
Bikini Cruise 2010 (Grenada)
Bikini Cruise 2010

August 7th, 2010
De Permit Fete 2010 (Grenada)
De Permit Fete 2010

August 6th, 2010
Spice Mas 2010 Extras (Grenada)
Spice Mas 2010 Extras

August 6th-10th 2010

TJJ's Party Guru's Guide to Grenada's Spicemas 2010 & Beyond

It's been long over due, but finally TJJ officially headed to the "Spice Isle of the Caribbean" ... GRENADA to play a wicked Mas!

All summer, we've been island hopping checking out the various Caribbean carnivals in search of the answer to: "Who has the next best carnival (outside of Trinidad & Tobago) in the West Indies?" The race came down to three (3) comparable carnivals (based on country's population) - Vincy Mas (we're still yet to do), Lucian Carnival and Spicemas!

Let's talk about Spicemas... and that's "Mas" with one not two "s"!

Prerequisites:

  • Duration: You can arrive as late as Friday and leave anytime after Carnival Tuesday. This will give you a fill of both Official Carnival events and popular weekend fetes & limes. We recommend coming a few days earlier or staying later to enjoy the island and it's beautiful beaches.
  • Currency: The official currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$ or XCD). EC$1 = US$0.38 = €0.24 = UK£0.19. Most hotels, shops and restaurants will accept US dollars, but you’ll get a better exchange rate by changing to EC dollars at a bank and using local currency. Be clear about whether prices are being quoted in EC or US dollars, particularly with taxi drivers.
  • Communications: Be sure to secure a local SIM card, especially if you're a BBM addict! Fortunately for us, LIME offers FREE roaming through out the Caribbean with their plan, so our SIM card secured in B'dos at Crop Over rolled along to Greenz.
  • Accommodations: The carnival and activities are mainly based in the island's capital of St. George. World famous beaches, Grand Anse Beach and Morne Rouge (BBC) Beach, are located on this end of the isle as well. We started our trip at the Grenada Grand Beach Resort, but if you're looking for top of the line 5-star accomodations, we highly recommend the Spice Island Beach Resort (AAA Four-Diamond Rating). All we have to say is, "Fully inclusive Spice-of-Life experience!" Whether you go big or small budget, both resorts are ideally located on the sugar white sands of Grand Anse Beach.
  • Transportation: Maurice Bishop Internatinal Airport is where you will land, and if you're continuing on to the sister Isle of Carriacou, have only a short hop by inter-island charter to Lauriston Airport. We were fortunute to be privately driven around by the Grenadian Tourism Board (large up Roger with his Phd ... "Pot Hole Dogger"), so if you don't do the rental car (FYI... secure a Grenada Driving permit, and steering wheels are on the right side of the car) or friend thing, then jump on a local bus to get the real Grenadian experience. Again, avoid paying in U.S. dollars.
  • Electricity/Voltage: Grenada uses 220v, so you need a step down transformer to use any US 110v or non dual voltage device. Hotels will gladly provide both transformer and multi-outlet power strip on request so you can plug in your laptop, cell phone chargers, electric shaver and what not. Bring lots of spare batteries if you can.
  • Attire: It's HOT! Pack a good mix from tees to shirts (short sleeves) and shorts to club jeans. Two pairs of comfortable sneakers is highly recommended. J'Ouvert in Grenada is BIG, so walk with clothes/shoes that you don’t mind getting permanently stained or throwing away. And if you're like myself, don't forget to pack your sun glasses... yes, the sun hot!
  • Mas: It's a two day jump, with a "wicked jab" J'Ouvert on the Morning morning. SummerCrew was the band were TJJ spent most of our time. You MUST play J'Ouvert! Grenadian's boast of having the "Best J'Ouvert in the World". But the real bonus is Spicemas Monday Night Mas ... something to definitely experience as well.

Friday: Put your bags down, change into your beach wear and head down to Garfield's Beach Bar on Grand Anse Beach in the afternoon. Tons of Med students and locals liming and drinking. You will see the highest piles of empty Carib bottles stacked up towards the end of the lime. "Spicemas Soca Monarch Finals" is the biggest event on the night ... a RAM OUT National Stadium full of energy sets the pace for the Carnival weekend. Afterwards, don't waste time ... head straight to "De Permit Fete"! You can hear the Soca Monarch results on the radio during the drive over.

Saturday: We at TJJ believe that a Boat Ride should be an integral part of one's carnival itinerary, and despite the iffy weather SummerCrew's "Bikini Cruise" (All Inclusive day cruise) delivered just that for Spicemas 2k10. Later on, "Pantastic Saturday" satisified our appetite for both culture and steelpan music. Saturday night is what they call 'Country Lime' or 'Road Show' as thousands gather in St. Andrew for the annual "White In The Moonlight" fete. If you don't want to make the trek to the country, club Karma (Grenada's Club Zen) and Club Bananas (our official party and after party spot) is for you!

Sunday: Grab a solid plate of bessss local food at Creole Shack to get your day started off right ... it's going to be non-stop feting until Carnival Tuesday! 1st stop... the annual Rotary Club's Fete in the evening. Some would call it 'de ole people fete', but as serveral patrons told me, "If you don't have a walker or a wheelchair in the party, it ent no ole people party!" Afterwards, it's back to the stadium to see who's going to get the "Queen and King of the Band" titles. But the highlight for the Dimanche Gras is the Calypso competition. Congrats to this year's winner, Biko Lewis.

Monday: It's 4AM!! Who's ready for J'Ouvert? If Grenadian Soca artiste Tallpree tell us we must do J'ouvert, we don't need anyone else to convince us. The real wicked jab is definitely with the 2010 'Best Jab Jab Band' De Real Jab Jab .... one word - "OIL!" Since Carnival Monday Parade is not as well attended as J'Ouvert or Carnival Tuesday, there's sufficient time to recuperate for Grenada's popular (and well kept secret) Monday Night Mas.

Tuesday: When we thought St. Lucia carnival parade got off to a late start (12-1pm), Spicemas took it a bit further with a 2-3pm start time. Tuesday Road March is the big day for costumes and parade of the bands. We're still a little puzzled at the difference in numbers that come out on Tuesday vs Monday for the parade.

Final Thoughts: Which Carnival ranked #1? Vincy, Lucia or Grenada? The survey results were never cut and dry, as it appears that every carnival has it's strong and weak points. So until we officially check out Vincy Mas, we will hold off on making an official decision! smile

Spicemas definitely gets TJJ's Stamp of Approval. A special thanks to the Grenada Board of Tourism for their warm hospitality. See you guys next year!

The Carnival Ref - Grenada Spice Mas 2010

Heading back to St. Lucia for a few days,
Chooks aka The Carnival Ref

Disclaimer: Professional and experienced TJJ Fet-a-lot-athon® Party Gurus have rigorously tested these Carnival grounds and are providing said recommendations based on the fundamentals that the audience is a healthy rum drinking islander. If while performing any of these actions you begin to feel any dizziness, fatigue or pain please stop and consult your physician immediately.

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