The third-largest Caribbean festival in the country just keeps getting bigger. Miami Carnival celebrated its 40th year at the Miami-Dade Fair Grounds, welcoming a crowd of thousands in what seemed to be a never-ending parade. Under the dark but ultimately dry skies, masqueraders arrived to compete from New York City, Atlanta, and even Canada.
Masqueraders spent their mornings on Oct. 13 securing elaborate costumes and perfecting their makeup, getting ready to pose and dance in the famous parade. The competition was stiff among the 18 Mas bands, each fighting for âBand of the Yearâ bragging rights and prize money. Last yearâs winner, Ramajay Mas, competed again in 2024. The Parade of Bands & Concert closed a weekend of Miami-Broward One Carnival events including Jouvert and the Panorama Steel Band Competition.
"Miami Carnival is a powerful celebration of Caribbean artistry, music, and food. In marking this 40th anniversary, we recognize its impact on bringing people together locally and regionally. Add this to the long list of opportunities we enjoy that provide a beautiful showcase of our community's creativity and unity," said Connie Kinnard, senior vice president of Multicultural Tourism & Development at the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, in a press release.
To keep the judging structured, bands waited hours just to make it to the stage. By the time each competitorâs anticipation reached the stage ramp, it was ready to explode into a celebration of dance and color. The winners and their prizes should be announced by Wednesday, Oct. 16.
Xiomara Hall, a masquerader with Dingolay Mas, flew in with the NYC-based crew to the Miami Carnival experience. âWe stopped doing New York (carnival) and weâve just been doing Miami for the past three or four years,â Hall explained. âI like the fact that there's more masqueraders than there are spectators, and spectators are centralized. Pretty much the whole route is masqueraders.â
In cities like New York, Hall said, spectators are not as aware and may step on costumes or jump the barricades. She and her husband played in support of his mother, Rachel Hall, a costume designer and one of the creators of Dingolay Mas. Rachel led the group in a custom version of her purple and pink âBarboletaâ line.
âWe know how to watch the costumes and appreciate the art,â Xiomara said.
Festivalgoers packed the roads to Sundayâs parade and performances, but parking was completely free. The committee also provided free park-and-ride services in Lauderhill and Miami Gardens. Out-of-town masqueraders paid a much higher price for their experience. Coco Sky, an artist, designer and masquerader, helped make her friendsâ costumes while preparing to compete. âIt was hectic,â Sky said, mentioning that they arrived late to the parade with Ramajay. âI sew everything I do.â
âWe didnât see the other bands, but any band that has us, has a good chance,â said her friend Kiara Falcher.
In addition to the expected expensive custom costumes, their flights and hotel stays, they also pay their chosen band a registration fee. In return, they got a day full of dancing, drinks, cocktails and free lunch. Ramajay was one of the largest bands with 11 costume sections and a lengthy bar truck.
âThe hurricane kind of threw a lot of stuff off,â Falcher said. âI think everyone still had a good time no matter where they went.â
While 14-wheeler trucks inched their way down the parade route, the Main Stage lit up with performances from the afternoon going way into the night. Not only does Miami Carnival gather Miami natives of Caribbean descent, but it also showcases Caribbean culture to the U.S.
The main stage performances were grouped by country, highlighting local talent and bringing together artists of similar backgrounds. At Carnival in the United States, seeing swaths of Trinidadian and Jamaican flags is expected. The Miami-Broward One Carnival Host Committee chose to highlight smaller countries like St. Lucia and Antigua by assigning a section of performances to each countryâs tourism board. The parade also represented Belizeans, Brazilians and Panamanians.
Drastic, an Antigua-born artist, came from Canada to perform. The singer followed a performance by fellow Antiguan artist Empress. âI've seen more and more support from the Antiguan diaspora come out to various events around the world,â Drastic told the Miami Times.
During his first ever performance on the Main Stage, he was pleased to see Antiguan flags in the audience. âThat's one of the things that I used to cry about. I was like, man, we're not seeing a representation of Antigua.â
After his performance, he said lately itâs getting better. âTo see them reacting and dancing and vibing to songs that they don't actually know is a good energy, and that's what just pushed me to keep performing,â he said.
The crowd at the main stage grew larger as more bands finished their judging and toasted their accomplishment. To close the night, Miami-Broward One Carnival presented Tobagoan recording artist Machel Montano with a key to the City of Miami. The famous soca singer was also given a key to the City of Lauderhill on Friday at Jouvert.
Montano said via Instagram, âIâve enjoyed my last few days reconnecting with the community here!!! In partnership with Miami Carnival, we will be making a donation to @globalempowermentmission for the Hurricane Relief efforts!!!â
His performance brought out a sea of red Trinidadian flags, cementing the weekend as a 40th anniversary to remember.
This story was produced by The Miami Times, one of the oldest Black-owned newspapers in the country, as part of a content sharing partnership with the WLRN newsroom. Read more at .
