Wyclef, Rupee, and Island People et al for Antilia/Carnival 08!

Need we say more?

For the second year running, Antilia, the Manhattan-based event management and promotion team is bringing the flair and heat of Trinidad & Tobago's Carnival to the New York social scene and this time, they're taking things up a notch.

Dropping names like ex Fugee Wyclef Jean, Bajan star Rupee, Trini hotties Kes & Ms T&T Anya Ayoung-Chee, and even Extra T.V. host A.J. Calloway, the event kicks off at 8pm (doors open at 7pm) at the Prince George Ballroom in the West Village, NYC. Thank God for that location move; for one its much closer to me and will be undoubtedly better than trekking across to the desolate w27th area for the Cain nightclub...

Last year, the event exclusively showcased the costumes of Island People, but this time Founder Simon Khan, Andrea and the Antilia team will also show designs from Elements Carnival and my band, Spice! I recommend this as a "must attend" - it's also all inclusive with cutters and premium drinks. If anything, you will enjoy the ambiance and the vibe - brace yourself for true true wining, jamming and a general 'break-away' time!

For tickets and additional info, click here.

L.M.N. Harris

Win It - A Costume with Spice Carnival for C2K9!!!

We're giving you the heads up on the goodies, once again! Our sister site, My Caribbean Gateway has officially teamed up with the Spice Carnival team and we're all excited about their delectable presentation for C2K9, "The Missing Ingredient"!

So excited, that MyCG is giving y'all a chance to win one Golden Basil female costume from Spice Carnival for the month of September - We're all for Spice, especially since the costumes fuse fashion & Mas' in exquisite ways.

Just look at the detail work on Golden Basil above, and you'll see what I mean. Click here, for full details on the promotion/the contest rules, and click here to enter.

Don't procrastinate, oui? If you're deliberating over comming to Trinidad for carnival, or you're stumped on the costume decisions front (like me, pre-Golden Basil) why don't you try your luck and enter?

If you don't win, you lose nothing and could go back to deliberating. But, oh! If you win, you'll be joining a stylish, youthful, professional, and most of all, fun band for C2K9.

This is a one-time thing as Spice's sections are selling out left, right and center; thus far, Mediterranean Borage, Brown Sugar, and Melilot Blue are closed, closed, closed! Contest ends Sept 3oth 2008. Good Luck!

LMN Harris

Trinidad Carnival 2k9 - Which band gets my pittance?!

Folks, I need help!

Beyond the fact that I am no Sir Richard Branson or Oprah Winfrey, just looking at stacks of money and wondering what to do next, I am perplexed about which expensive Carnival Costume I should choose, and which band I should play with, if I do. There are just too many bands around this year -at least 4 are strong possibilities - and all are overpriced in my opinion.

Here's the scene. So Island People Mas with their presentation of 'Heaven on Earth' is already sort of a no-no for me, because of their multitude of issues: they just treat their masqueraders too poorly, their costumes ain't all that, and they're always nursing some behind-the-scenes bacchanal that somehow manages to seep out into the whole band.

Tribe with 'Birds of a Feather' is really a strong possibility for 2009, but all of their uber-expensive sections are booking up so damn fast, that I'm hoping my last few options don't go off the shelf by the time I've gathered up my pennies.

Then there are the others. Spice mas' 'The Missing Ingredient' is very, very appealing for a newbie, but their designs don't warrant the prices of the costumes in all instances, and I feel as if it's going to be a huge gamble, putting my aforementioned pennies on them.

The other newbies, such as Elements (portraying Casino), Evolution (Temptations), Kaotic (Can't recall), and whichever other band, don't move me enough to even put the links to their sites.

Another relative newbie who's a dark horse in the race is Ronnie & Caro with 'Bakkanal'; their launch is on August 29th and their designs are simple but pack a serious punch!

Brian MacFarlane - whose band has not officially launched, and whom we shall no longer refer to as a pseudo Peter Minshall, as he is attempting to do his own design thing these days - is a sure bet. But in reality, I can only wholeheartedly devote myself to playing mas' in yardage upon yardage of cloth and theatrics, if it is with Peter Minshall!

So what shall I do? I've put up the pics of my possibilities thus far. Kindly peruse and tell me what you think...

LMN Harris