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HOLLYWOOD
CARNIVAL 2014
TJJ + Hollywood + Carnival = Bacchanal on the Boulevard Part 3 When we "Press A Button" we get this "Haunted" feeling straight "To Meh Heart", which makes us feel like the "Happiest Man Alive"! This carnival fever had many names and easily spread from one person to another causing Hollywood Boulevard and environs to be infested with happy people, musical vibrations and colourful displays. Hollywood Carnival carved its name on the Walk of Fame! And this year was particularly an "EPIC" year with King of Soca, Machel Montano (MM), right in the mix; adding some key ingredients. Montano invited both local and international celebs such as Trinidad James (rapper), Eva Marcille (actress/fashion model), Director X (music video director), Anya Ayoung-Chee (designer) and Damien Dante Wayans (actor) to come out and see what the 3rd Annual Los Angeles Culture Festival (LACF) had to offer. Of course, this meant that Trini Jungle Juice once again had full access and this year, Dre AKA Daddy Juice AKA The Carnival Ref made the trip out to LA to join in on the action! Unable to drum up the energy for Thursday night's V.I.C.E 'The Blue & White Party', our weekend kicked off on Friday... Friday June 20th:
Pure Happiness Lyrikal opened the stage with performances that got the crowd jumping from the start. Then came the main attraction, Mr. Machel Montano himself. He had a big performance on a small stage. Covering it from one side to the next, he had everyone in the zone. Flags up in the air and people staggering from side to side, the crowd was wild. Ending the night at 3:30am, everyone that came out seemed to have gotten their money's worth. #twentyforplenty #tooreal #comeouttoplay This year the fetes have grown three-fold. Besides soca pumpin' in downtown Hollywood, Deja Vu promotions hosted Too Real: Twenty For Plenty featuring the 2014 Groovy Soca King Kerwin Du Bois and Benjai at Local 250 Union Hall in Gardena. Venue was a decent size with plenty wining room; plenty room for those "Too Real" bumpers!! Promoters provided free secured parking which accommodated many cars, SUVs and even party buses. Patrons partied to the sounds of DJ Spice (NY), MysteryMan and Gary B whilst MC Wassi kept the crowd wining, waving and singing to his every command as he handed out free tickets to comedy shows and other post-carnival weekend parties. Vibes!!! Drinks were plentiful at $5 from 9p to 12am and kept everyone’s spirits high. Benjai was first to perform and as expected, his clothing came off piece by piece by piece as his fans cheered him on. Drink, Wine, Strip, Repeat!!! I come out to play, play, play!!! With this fete scheduled until 5AM, the Groovy Soca King arrived at the venue after we left but word is he did not disappoint and had the hardcore partygoers on "Lockdown". With all these events taking place for Hollywood Carnival,
"Say the word and we dey.. we dey.. we dey! And if you can’t
go hard well it's best you stay home cuz we ain't toting no loadddddddddddd
..... and if you don't want we inside ah yuh party, we go cover it from
the roaddddddd!!" Saturday June 21st: Parade
of the Bands It's its 3rd year, although it was rumoured that the number of spectators might have been less than previous years, the growth of the costume mas bands was clearly evident. Extacy Mas added new section EPIC Mas, which was hosted by Machel Montano. Trinifeters, Island Revellers, Jump Synergy, Carnival Jumbies, Sistas-wit-Style were some of the other mas bands that promoted our fun-filled culture along the estimated 3.5 mile parade route down Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood Carnival now boasts of having the longest parade route on the ROAD in the US. Shout out to all the hard working DJs; Stephen, Eternal Vibes, Barrie Hype, The Governor, Marcus G and Supa Dan to name a few. And to MCs Giselle D' Wassi One and Tony Cross who kept the masqueraders pumping whilst spreading the vibes as they usually do. Machel gave a great performance on the EPIC Mas truck which sent the celebs (both off and on the music truck like Damien Dante Wayans and winner of the third cycle of America's Next Top Model, Eva Marcille) and revellers into a frenzy as the crowd cheered him on. Vibes, vibes and more vibes!!! Every Caribbean country represented as carnival lovers waved rags and flags to their favourite soca tunes. Following the parade, the action continued at the Carnival Village (which needs to be easier to find following the parade), where there was live entertainment on the main stage and a wide variety of food on sale - the line for roti and bake & shark never let up - along with other cultural booths. The night was still young with the Official Hollywood Carnival After Party "R.E.P.R.E.S.E.N.T" which featured reining Chutney Soca Monarch of T&T, K.I at Exchange LA to conclude Saturday's carnival activities. Special mention goes to the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Tourism and TDC for supporting the Los Angeles Culture Festival and celebrating the 25th anniversary of Peter Minshall's Tan Tan and SagaBoy. Their gigantic figures in the parade marked a beginning of bigger and better things to come in the years ahead for Hollywood Carnival. Sunday June 22nd: RISE:
The
Ultimate Breakfast Boatride So you woke up and your head still hurting from all the
sun and alcohol from the day before. What do you do? Eat a bake &
shark or hops and saltfish, add more alcohol over ice and stir in some
TJJ vibes with soca and you have an ultimate time aboard the Kristina
hosted by Trinifeters. If you weren't on board, well keep on dreaming!!
No stush behavior aboard this vessel as all sorts of antics occurred.
From palancing on the bottom
deck which rocked the boat so much, a large speaker on the top deck toppled
into the sea below (no lie) to holding onto the frames on the ceiling
and doing pull ups in mid-wine... yes, men were doing
pull-ups, push-ups, squats ... you name it, all while conducting a proper
wine! Oppsie? Heck no!! Trinifeters boat ride demonstrated how to do the
"Wineaerobic Workout". Musical geniuses The Governor
and Marcus G cranked up the volume and the saga continued. At the
end, partygoers were treated to local T&T snacks like cheeze balls,
split channa, salt prunes and tamarind balls to compliment the end of
an 'Ultimate Boatride'. Kudos to Trinifeters for a job well done. Next
time, lasso all the speakers onto the posts to ensure nothing moves. Next up for the 'TJJ Carnival Train for the Wicked' ... Machel's BBQ Pool lime and Hollywood Carnival Last Lap. One more day to go... the power levels UP!! Monday June 23rd:
The EPIC After
Party And there you have it folks.... if you weren't in the Entertainment Capital of the World - Hollywood to experience this year's carnival, to simply put it... your loss!! Congratulations to the LACF committee for another successful carnival. And like we said the 1st year (see 2012 coverage), you carved your star on the Walk of Fame. 2nd year (see 2013 coverage), you added the shine. And this year, you sealed it! Bigger and better things to come. We cannot wait until next year! #WillYouBeReady We Love Carnival ... We Know Carnival ... WE ARE CARNIVAL!
With Love, >> Hollywood
Carnival 2013 Coverage |
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