Crop Over 2013 review: Island Mas Breakfast Party

Island Mas Breakfast Party 2013

Another fete review from blogger Carnival Stats who was in Barbados for Crop Over 2013!

*******

This was the 6th edition of Island Mas' Breakfast Party, which started back in 2008. a truly unique fusion of trini-bajan culture.

The event started at 7:30 am and was carded to go til 2:30 pm, however, my friends and I arrived  at about 11 am... typical trini thing. By the time we got there the sun was out in full force and the event well underway. Received complimentary drinks on entry which we wasted  no time in putting away before heading to one on the 4 bars on site. The wait for drinks wasn't long and the stock was premium. Shout out to Kevin Clarke.

The Venue of it self was nice, the set up effective, easy access to bars, space to "roll that batty" and safe even for wedges :). My only  issues with  the venue were the heat and limited bathrooms. At  one point  I actually thought the event had relocated to the surface of the sun. Thank heavens for the huge cool air fan thingie, the water hose and the strips running across the tent frame.

Missed the first few Djs, (sorry about that Penthouse). Shurwayne's performance was up to standard as usual, and enjoyable. The real thing from Tobago. Me being a big  Edwin Yearwood fan I enjoyed his performance immensely and Jus Jase definitely represented well for the trinis.  

The food... can I just say... damn. Waterside Restaurant  provided lunch and it was great!Garlic potatoes, fish, chicken,  pasta, mac pie, fish cakes (accra) salads. The options were wide and tasted lovely.

Trini Doubles were also on hand and you never go wrong with doubles in a fete.

Overall vibe was great 9/10 and  will be back next year with more friends. Really good job Island Mas.

Carnival Stats

 ******

Reviews can be sent to CropOverChronicles@gmail.com. Note opinions expressed here are those of the individual masquerader/event attendee and do not represent those of the Crop Over Chronicles

Crop Over 2013 Review: TF Services + Soca Titans + Jambalassee + Bliss + Booze Cruise + Oh Ship

Rihanna in Barbados Crop Over 2013

 

 

First up in our Crop Over 2013 review series comes from a group from the UK:

 

 ******

Hiya

As a first timer to Barbados/Cropover, i must say it was a good experience, now that i know the ropes i will be back again next year! We used Trple F Services to arrange the major tickets and i am glad we did, so a massive thanks to them for their professionalism and overall help.

Soca Titans - Fantastic is all i can say and i will explain why, coming from a country where nothing is ever organised they pulled it off. A must for me next year!

Lush - this was by far our favourite fete, it was just fab! the only complaint is that the food wasn't all that but hey we weren't there for the food. Another must do next year.

Jambalasse - Great. I jumped till 6....overall vibes was cool.

Bliss - Jeez the venue far but it was gorgeous. Loved everything about this fete. Knew it was going to be  an upmarket event and it didn't disappoint. Drinks flowing till we left. The food queue was wayyyyyyyyy too long and not enough food stations. Strangely enough this was the one fete people were very friendly so a bit confused why people think it is snobby!

Booze Cruise - Another one we liked and my friend said the steak was amazeballs!

Cesars Army Oh Ship - ABSOLUTE SHYTES (Pardon my language) Ticket said 7pm, we newbies got there at 7 because it said boarding at 7. No one there to explain what was going on and we were there for 2 hours, we finally saw the jolly roger, around 9.30pm got on, the boat stank but the whole atmosphere was absolutely off and we were slightly terrified as a group of very aggressive guys were talking about shanking someone who had disrespected them earlier. But we were just pissed off with the whole disorganisation so we got off and went home to drink our cheap bottle of wine! Our mistake, next year we will stick to strictly Bajan Fetes....if i want a trini party i will go to trinidad.

Overall we loved cropover and was surprised to hear some Barbadians complaining about a lot, my friend and myself looked at each other and laughed hard. If only they knew that all the events that happened could never have gone smoothly where i come from, but then i guess we all have to strive for excellence. 

Till next year then!

 

L

 

 *****

 

Reviews can be sent to CropOverChronicles@gmail.com. Note opinions expressed here are those of the individual masquerader/event attendee and do not represent those of the Crop Over Chronicles

Trinidad Carnival 2013

Well here we are again, Carnival time. Did you miss me? We had a great Crop Over season in Barbados, though a little man called Ernesto tried to (literally) rain on our parade. More on that later, but for now, Bajan Cherry is heading over to Trinidad. Here's the latest:

• The two "top" breakfast parties are currently without a license to party. Sunnyside Up and Vale Vibe have gotten the residents of Diego up in arms over noise complaints. It is alleged by some that all has to happen is someone's palm has to be greased. Quelle horreur if that's true! But in Trinidad, the show must go on!

 

• Speaking of rumours, the assault charge Machel Montano was found guilty on had sentencing put off until after Carnival. If your girlfriend is allegedly Aunty Kamla's family anyway you know you're safe. 

• NEXT! The famous Crop Over events Booze Cruise and Roast Cruise have both decided to hold cruises Carnival Sunday. Booze is supposed to have Lil Rick on board as well as Anya Ayoung-Chee. Well this is interesting. It is quite poetic in the case of Booze Cruise as it would be a homecoming to the Harbour Master boat, as we profiled in our article it has been in Trinidad since last year. Great to see the Bajans keeping the Caribbean unity alive!

• Speaking of people who throw cruises in other islands: Scorch seems to have expanded its Carnival Saturday Block-O and instead of the intimate grassy St. Clair setting, is rumored to be in Jean Pierre complex this year. For those of you new to Carnival, it's basically a stadium. So doubtful it will have the same vibe. Scorch will not be on my calendar this year. 

What ARE my picks for the season? Stay tuned to find out!  

 

Follow on twitter: @cropchronicles

For Trinidad Carnival event tickets friend or like the facebook page facebook.com/trplefservices or click here.

Yuma Imagine teaser video and high res pic

Yes people, Yuma is here! I can only IMAGINE what awaits us on August 1st! Woohoo!

Crop Over Music 2012

So it's finally here...the music post. Before you reach the island, you MUST learn how to dabble, brace, bubble and go down to the ground! Recognise this man! 

 Conduckta - Dutty Android

Take your sinus medication and pat the cat...

 

De Cat (Sinuses) - Pong

If you want mixes, here's a few - 

 DJ Jamma has groovy AND a bashment mix!
http://soundcloud.com/jamma-dbc/dj-jamma-soca-groovy-bim-2k12

http://soundcloud.com/jamma-dbc/dj-jamma-soca-bashment-bim

DJ Warlock from overseas has one, see here:

 

http://www.mediafire.com/?iyln81befej1pk8

DJ Puffy has a mix for Collision the jouvert band but, too many Trini tracks feature in my opinion to be a real Crop Over mix!

http://soundcloud.com/deejaypuffy/collision-the-band-presents

Stay tuned to bajantube.com and bajanscene.com for music. Also Slam 101.1 FM - listen online until you reach. 

Welcome to Crop Over!

Bathsheba Experience 2012

So plenty of people have been asking, is Bathsheba on this year? I can say...yes, yes it is! One person behind it has left since they were not happy with the direction it was taking, but this year's event is on, just by invite only (check TrpleF Services for invites) and not all-inclusive. Hmm...let's hope this is a good change!

Bathsheba takes place the same venue, approximate same time, and is food-inclusive with a pay for drinks system. Let's see what happens!

Yuma Imagine Sneak Peek

Yuma has been quiet all this time, no facebook page, not a hint, not a whisper...until now!  I can exclusively reveal their (tiny) sneak peek/teaser this morning! 

I can barely distinguish but got -monokini plunge, green, brown, blue, and SEXY!!! Shades of this year:

Yuma launches Wednesday 1st August at the QRC, free drinks and tickets available from committtee.

Check back with us and at www.yumavibe.com after launch to see all the sexay costumes!

Bajan Cherry over and out!!

Stay tuned to us on twitter @CropChronicles and our facebook group for updates!

Crop Over Event Spotlight: Roast Cruise

A favourite Crop Over Friday event with those in the know, Roast Cruise has been responsible for many scores of attendees being useless to themselves for at least 24 hours after for some time now. See their mention on our calendar. We got the Roast guys to answer our 7 Questions:

 

1.    Tell us the concept behind the Cruise – how did it start?

Originally we had started a Facebook Group asking people to upload pictures of their friends in their most drunk moment, and pretty soon over 500 people had joined the group. Eventually, we began receiving requests to do an event and after checking the crop over calendar, we found that there was a void on the Friday afternoon of the weekend before Kadooment. So began the Roast Cruise.  

2.    For the non-Bajans and newcomers, what does ‘Roast’ actually mean?

Roast is most commonly associated with a state of drunkeness, but for us its more of a state you are left in after extreme partying which not only includes  lots of drinks and shots, but quality entertainment at a great price. Many of our satisfied patrons are unable to attend other events being held on the same day after ours.

3.    Describe the average Roast attendee - what are they like?

Beautiful people and who love to party usually between the ages 20 to 45 

4.    What does Roast Cruise bring to Crop Over that was not present before?

History shows that people coming in to Barbados for Crop Over usually came in on a Friday to enjoy the "last lap" of activities. But events like Roast Cruise have been able to provide people who are serious about partying, with an opportunity to come to the island earlier in the week and enjoy another quality event at a time when people would rather be partying than being well you know... at work.

5.    You’ve partnered in the pasts with Bash Brothaz (who hold the popular Crop Over event Frazzled) in a bus ride – how did that go?

Broasted - The Bus Ride was a success.Two buses, almost 100 ppl, free punch and entertainment. Although there were some issues with the power for our onboard DJs, we were able to provide an atmosphere where people knew this is a time to party and just have a blast doing it. The feedback given ws generally that it was great.

6.    There are a lot of cruises out there for the season, what makes yours stand out?

Our cruise is what we would call Premium All-inclusive with partying from start to finish. There's no waiting for a vibe to build, we are ready to go even before you say so. And we also give people the opportunity to party hard when they know they don't want to be at work. After all it is Crop Over - The Sweetest Summer Festival

7.    And finally, if you had to sum up the Roast experience in three words, what would they be?  

Rip Right Up

Tickets are sold out and have been for some time of course. However, this year the Crop Over Chronicles can exclusively reveal that they have been planning an after-party! This will be separate to the cruise, so those of you who have not been fortunate enough to attend can still experience the Roast vibes. 

Also new this year too are the Roast buckets-now these look pretty swanky!

I refused to attend last year due to the fear I would fall overboard and/or be useless to myself for the rest of the weekend, but I will be taking the Roast plunge this year. Wish me luck!

Stay tuned to us on twitter @CropChronicles and our facebook group for updates!

Harbour Master cruising in Trinidad

This past weekend saw not one, not two, but three cruises on the new (to Trinidad) boat the Harbour Master. Well known to Crop Over and Barbados visitors, this ship was one of the favourite party boats in the island. 


Space to party, a solid bar, and lovely roof deck made Bajans sad to see it go to Trinidad this year. Patrons enjoyed the boat, but it did seem almost TOO spacious, with neither of the two events taking on the maximum number that could be held. 

The inaugural cruise was held by Wow Events, with Scorch Summer Cruise following on Saturday, and Blue Jeans on Sunday. Check out some pics below!

Photos from thescorch.com and puretrinbago.com.