hotfeatures Carnival fever
With Notting hill Carnival on the horizon Hotminute speaks to Bacchanalia Mas Band about the preparations involved in bringing London’s biggest Carnival to the streets and more importantly how you can get involved!
HM: How long has Bacchanalia Mas been running as an organisation?
Bacchanalia was founded in 2005, primarily as a fun mas band (t-shirts) with the intention to do costumes when we felt we were ready, which we did the year after. After 2 years, we were approached by another band and joined up with them as the fit felt right. Now, after 3 years, we have re-launched Bacchanalia as a premium, all-inclusive, costume band. We will always keep our band at a maximum of 200 masqueraders, as we do not want to dilute the customer service on the road and we feel that it is a nicer vibe when the group is smaller. Our team is made up of professionals who all have specialist skills and are all carnivalists in their own right. We are all very keen to help carnival grow and welcome new members to the group. As after all, carnival is for everyone!
HM: What is your main focus as a promotions group? The Notting Hill Carnival has been running for 50 years yet, not very many people know what it is all about or how to get involved. It takes a year to plan, prepare and bring out a presentation yet Carnival is a 2 second blip on the news. For many, it is a full time job that is unrecognised or acknowledged. I see the Notting Hill Carnival as a world stage and with the artists and talent here in the UK, this could easily grow to be something truly spectacular and unrivalled in the world. It is a great opportunity to bring people together, from all backgrounds, to build and create a culture that is truly united. Every year, it surprises me how many people don’t know they can also join in and be part of the fun. One of our main promotions contains the tagline ‘Don’t spectate, participate!’
HM: How much organisation goes into planning your band for the Carnival? Preparations and planning usually start immediately after carnival as you have to start looking to improve on the previous year’s experience as well as that of your peers, introduce new concepts, market and promote events where you bring your masqueraders together and start the ball rolling on production of the costumes.
HM: Your costumes look amazing how did you go about choosing this year’s theme?
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Thank you! We wanted to choose a theme that would appeal to all. Carnival is about letting yourself go for 2 days and just having fun with your friends and family. It’s an opportunity for you to be wild and free and we thought the theme Alter-Ego and the overall concept of carnival encapsulated that feeling very well. Bring out your inner, wilder self and setting yourself free from everything else…be whoever you want to be for those 2 days and forget about all the stress and troubles of everyday life.
Te Notting Hill Carnival has been running for 50 years yet, not very many people know what it is all about or how to get involved. Carnival is a 2 second blip on the news, yet it takes a year to plan, prepare and bring out a presentation
HM: Who is behind the design and creation of your costumes?
Kelly Rajpaulsingh is the lead designer and creator of the costumes. Whilst it was just her designing this year, we are always on the look-out for any new and creative minds that want to be part of the process and team. Once costumes are designed, the team views them and has a ‘costume critique’ of what works and what doesn’t. Then we launch it to everyone. This is similar to a fashion show, with a great after-party too!
HM: The Hotminute team will be joining you on the road at this year’s carnival, what can we expect? You guys can expect a great time, good vibes, friendly people, good laughs and a lot of wining!
HM: For those not familiar with the Soca scene and terminology please explain what the term ‘Wukkup’ means lol? ‘Wukkup’ means when you hear music that makes you jump up and start dancing – whether you want to or not. To West Indians, it’s wining – either by yourself or with someone else. Wining is moving your waist and hips in circles and in tandem to hot soca music. There are some extrememly talented
‘winers’ in the band!
HM: Carnival is all about good music and a party vibe what sounds or artists will be leading the party down the road? We are on the road with the extremely talented SOS Entertainment Group and Soca Frenzy. Both groups have been around for a number of years and both have a big and ever increasing fanbase. We are extremely proud to be working with them and are excited to see it all culminate on Carnival day. Both groups have worked very hard this year alongside us and we are looking to raising the bar of UK Carnival. Team Bacchanalia!
HM: Compared to the biggest and most renowned carnivals of the Caribbean such as Trinidad and Barbados how does Notting Hill compare? Notting Hill is still in its infancy. There is a lot to do still to grow and develop it into something that is polished and well-executed. I believe the 2012 Olympics being hosted in London will be the incentive needed to help push Carnival to a worldwide platform. At the moment, it is not comparable to Trinidad or Barbados or any of the other carnivals. Carnival is a season in these islands and it’s something that you grow up with so you are automatically connected to it. Here in the UK, it’s only within the small West Indian groups that you can see the build-up and excitement towards the event. It is not as publicly advertised or feels like an event where everyone comes together. West Indians participate and everyone else spectates – this is not an accurate perception as the carnival is open to all and anyone can participate..
HM: How can people find out about Bacmas and participating in the carnival? All information on the band, can be found on our website
www.baccmas.com and you can also join our mailing list for regular updates on carnival. We are also on facebook (Bacchanalia MasBand) and on Twitter (@ BacchanaliaUK). We have also started writing a blog on what goes on behind the scenes and what is involved in bringing out a carnival band – check us on http://londoncarnival.
blogspot.com. Come and be a part of something special!
Interview by Lesley B
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