Dr. Rhadi Ferguson aka The Carnival Doctor

Any movement’s ability to shape, change and transform communities and persons is based upon touch. It’s based upon the experiential effect of the experience.  When you do not move around the community on the road you miss and important part of the movement and the culture.  You actually stifle the culture and kill it at is roots.  If you speak to any anthropologist they will tell you that there is something incorrect about taking mas off the road and putting it into a park like setting. Or removing mas and just fetting with no road experience.  You will literally over time kill the carnival experience as it should be and turn it into a series of fetes culminating with a big party in a park with trucks that have music. That is not mas and that is not affecting the masses and the surrounding communities.  Even the gospel had to spread through travel and through touch.

Because I live in the United States in South Florida, I can actually arrive on Friday and do the amazing Friday night concert and then do J’Ouvert and the Parade of Bands on Saturday and leave on Sunday.  With two small children and a wife who knows that I am a carnival junkie this is absolutely appealing to me.  It allows me to experience the things which I love the most and do them in a timely fashion and return home. Granted, there are some events in Bermuda for which Bermuda is KNOWN for, like the Raft Up. The Raft Up is an event that Bermuda has perfected over time during their Bermuda Cup Match Weekend celebration where there are a number of festivities including a Soca Vs. Reggae party, various fetes and, of course, the Raft Up party.  I have NEVER attended a Raft Up party and for me to try to explain it would do it a severe injustice so I will just provide you with the best illustration  possible:

The Carnival Ref describes it as, “A barge with a sound system with boats all around….”

One of the most difficult challenges about the middle of the year carnival season for those of us who "peak" for Trinidad is that we get caught in that window where we need a break.

Just so that you understand, for those of you that do not understand. 

Many of us carnival junkies use the 10 to 12 week period between Miami Carnival (the last carnival on the carnival circuit) and Trinidad Carnival (the first carnival on the carnival circuit) as the time to get our cardio and nutrition on point.  In Miami we get into what we call "good enough to go"  shape. Which is really the foundation that we need to have so that we don't have so far to go between Miami and Trinidad in order to reach our goal.

If Opening night on Friday in Bermuda on the 17th of June is anything like opening night was in 2015, then ONCE AGAIN I am going to have the time of my life!!

The artist line up is potent and one of my favorite artists is performing -- KES -- so I cannot wait. 

And along with Kes are the following:

King Bubba

and a host of other DJs and guests. 

Yesterday I communicated with many of you about the struggle of the carnival junkie.  If you did not read that dynamic article, then I would highly suggest that you do.  Check it out here!

Today, I would like to communicate with you about something that I do not struggle with at all.

And that thing is going to Bermuda for their carnival which is called Bermuda Heroes Weekend.

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL......

If you attend carnivals like many of us do, then you understand the struggle. 

The struggle of trying to catch that lightning in a bottle on more time -- that feeling on the road, that feeling in the fete or that feeling when that soca song comes on. You are constantly running it down and trying to get it or something close to it. It is what makes us and defines many of us as soca junkies and carnival junkies.

The true struggle lies in the many variables which have to fall into place for you to catch that feeling.  There are so many ingredients. You have to be at the right place, with the right crew in some comfortable shoes, with a great DJ, with great things happening around you while sometimes dealing with a past or recent emotional traumatizing experience that is in diametrical opposition with what you are currently feeling so that the moment is even more heightened.  Then there's the weather, the ambience, etc.,. 

There are few things that can beat being in the Caribbean and being on, in or close to the water. And SUITS Breakfast Cooler Fete provided one of those experiences.  On a Saturday morning hundreds of people dressed in white, off white, and cream colored attire lined up outside Harbor Master in anticipation for one of the hottest fete tickets during Trinidad Carnival.  The Suits Breakfast Cooler fete sells out every year and this year was no different.  

The boat was packed with beautiful people who had a wonderful time listening to the the music from the DJs, enjoying the breeze coming off of the water and it was a wonderful start to one of the most exciting fete lineups of carnival.

Now let’s talk particulars……..

Phuket WAS HANDS DOWN THE BEST FETE EXPERIENCE FOR ME during carnival.  

And, I'm going to take my time in telling you why.  :-)

I most certainly hope that you had a wonderful carnival and will continue to experience carnival again and again.  Throughout my experiences at carnival I can tell you two of the biggest mistakes that I’ve seen people make which are so basic.

As a world class martial arts instructor who has coached Olympians, World Champions and served as the Head Judo Coach for the Bahamas Judo Federation, I can tell  you this.

Mastering THE BASICS trumps anything else when it comes to preparation. You can do the fancy stuff but mastering the basics is key.

In the book, The Ultimate Road Ready Guide, I speak about the importance of many things, but the 2 basic things that I want to address today are communication and hydration.

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I Paid The $9.99
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Although Machel Monday was free years prior, this year it was streaming for $9.99   I could not believe that people actually complained about paying 10 dollars. I mean, what is Machel supposed to do?  Entertain the world for free? Set up the live stream, video hosting and audio machinery, all for FREE?  That's not a sustainable model. And I, along with many people, was happy to pay the $9.99.