Carnival Season is Dripping With Hot Honey
It's Carnivaaaaaaal, Honeys!
I vividly remember the first time I tasted freedom on the road. As I whined and wiggled my booty feathers amongst my fellow masquerade (casually shortened as “mas”) players, I found myself twirling like the chosen girl in a romcom.
But, let me back up for a second. My very first time witnessing a Caribbean Carnival Parade was when I visited one of my best friends Tanya (more from her below) in her home town of Toronto, Ontario (Canada) for Caribana in 2011. As I watched and took pictures with the feathered players, I immediately said out loud, “I HAVE to do this one day!” And so it was.
At this time, I’ve participated in six Caribbean Carnival parades (also known as “playing mas”) across Toronto, Barbados (with Rihanna’s family band!), and Trinidad. And I’m looking forward to actually experiencing a parade as a Honey (I became one in July 2024 and had participated in Trinidad Carnival earlier that year in February). The next island wish list includes Grenada and St. Lucia—in that order!
Ever since I became entrenched in Carnival culture, I’ve pretty much become an informal recruiter. I need everyone to experience this adventure… especially Honeys! And here’s why (with a little help from my Honey friends Tanya and Jasmine)...
The Rich History
According to historians, Caribbean Carnival began in the late 18th century in Trinidad and Tobago, “where enslaved people banned from participating in the masquerades and pre-Lenten celebrations of French plantation owners created their defiant rituals. The discarded garments of their oppressors were made into costumes for satirical re-enactments of the opulent balls they could not attend.”
Conversing with my friends who have Caribbean heritage such as Bee (you may recognize that name from our interview!) and Tanya has been fruitful because let me be real with you, Honeys—though the bacchanal, soca, and fêtes are quite enticing, I highly encourage anyone who participates to truly acknowledge and honor the sacred reverence of Carnival. I’m constantly learning myself, especially as I explore each island and digest their respective nuances.
“When you're putting on the costume and you're getting pretty—that's one thing,” Tanya noted. “But, it's being on the road and knowing what it took for the ancestors to even be able to gather in that way. Other communities such as the Indigenous community who had to see their land taken from them.”
And shout-out to June being Caribbean American Heritage Month!
The Uninhibited Joy
Each island’s Carnival schedule is unique in its own way, but they all typically have accompanying events such as fêtes, J’ouvert, etc. Think of the parade like the climax and every preceding event like the buildup.
I ain’t gonna lie—I can confidently say that the most overwhelming joy I’ve ever felt was participating in J’ouvert. My very first one was in Barbados and the best way I can describe it is that it’s like this adult recess—we’re tossing paint, powder, oil onto each other while dancing, whining, jumping, and drinking. The best time of my LIFE.
And chiiiiiile, let me tell you, your stamina needs to be on point. From the moment you sip the complimentary rum punch as your plane lands on your chosen island, It. Is. On. There are non-stop fêtes, very early mornings, very late nights, and little sleep. The Energizer Bunny ain’t got sh*t on a Carnival junkie. We live and feed off of our adrenaline and joy. There’s a Bunji Garlin song called “Straight Off The Jumbo Jet” that expresses this sentiment better than I can.
The Freedom
This one will especially appeal to Honeys and aligns with HONEY CHILE’s mission—to get us free. And there’s something about that road that ignites a desire to let it alllll hang out with no shame.
“Playing Mas is the freest I’ve ever felt,” Jasmine said. “There’s something transformative about stepping into a costume made just for you—covered in feathers, jewels, and copious amounts of glitter that glisten against your skin and refuse to shrink you. It’s not about hiding flaws or fitting in. It’s about celebration. About loving yourself, and this community, in full color. It’s about owning space you didn’t have to fight to take up.”
I’ve witnessed friends triumphantly tear off their safety net shorts in order to show their fully exposed thighs, I’ve seen OG Honeys shaking their thonged a*ses, and I’ve smiled at once-shy masqueraders blossom like the fabulous flower they were always meant to be.
“Post-40, being a mother, having carried life and fed my child from my body… I see my body in a very different way,” Tanya said. “While I still struggle with being kind to it, I can get out of bed everyday. I can see, I can get dressed, I can take a shower. I'm mostly fully-abled.”
Of course, some bands still have some work to do when it comes to leaning on the comfortable/typical/outdated beauty standard, the overarching sentiment is “come as you are.”
“A lot always goes through my head when I'm playing mas, but I'm just so joyful because I'm never as free in my body as I am when I'm on the road,” Tanya mused, who playfully added that she wished she started playing mas when she had “better knees.” “I'm not caring about whether my boobs are jiggling or my belly is wiggling or my thighs are too…whatever. I am not thinking about any of those things. A girl who doesn't even like wearing shorts does not care about any of those things when I'm on the road.”
“Here, acceptance is the default setting,” Jasmine added. “Everyone you meet, chip beside, or wine up on greets you with joy. No questions. No judgment. Just vibes.”
The Community
It’s the way we hype each other up to cross the stage (keep in mind, the parade is also an actual competition with judges!). It’s the way the wide-eyed children beam at us as if we’re walking princesses and squeal when we give them a piece of our costume as a souvenir. It’s magic, y’all.
And I can’t forget to mention the unmatched bond I’ve had with the women (Honeys and Honeys-in-training alike) I’ve played with, including Jasmine, Tanya, and Bee.
“Over the years, I’ve played with just my best friend as well as with full crews of a dozen+ women connected through old friendships, new ones, and everything in between,” Jasmine noted. “Each of us in coordinating, but unique costumes, each of us bringing our own story to the road, yet moving as one—not because we’re the same, but because we’ve all said yes to freedom, to power, to bacchanal.”
As soca icon Patrice Roberts gleefully sings, “soca is my therapy” and Carnival is the salve I’ll cherish forever. I’ll see y’all on the road!
TALKBACK
Honeys—get in yo’ section! Have you ever been to a Carnival parade? Have you ever participated in one? Which island/location? Do you have a dream destination? Let’s shake some tailfeathers in the comments!