The Parade Route for Carnival Monday (inclusive of Jouvé) and Tuesday (the Route) shall commence at the intersection of Kennedy Avenue and Independence Street (the Starting Point) and move southward along Independence Street. At the intersection of Independence and King George V Streets, the parade will turn right on King George V Street and proceed westward to the Bayfront/Dame Eugenia Charles Boulevard. Thereafter, the parade will turn right and proceed in a northerly direction to the intersection of the Bay Front and Kennedy Avenue. Finally the parade will turn right on to Kennedy Avenue and move easterly until it returns to the Starting Point.

CARNIVAL PARADE TIMES

Pursuant to Carnival Regulations the following times apply to the various parades:

• Carnival Opening Parade – 3pm to 6pm

• J’ouve (Carnival Monday) – 4am to 10am

• Electronic Bands-7am to 10am

• School Bands Parade (Carnival Monday) – 11am to 3pm

• Ole Mas Parade- 10am to 2pm

• T-Shirt Bands Parade (Carnival Monday) – 2pm to 10pm

• Costume Bands Parade (Carnival Tuesday) – 11am to 10pm

• Pageant Winners parade – 10am -1pm

JUDGING TIMES

Jouvé- 4am to 10 am

Carnival Monday Ole Mas – 10:00 am to 2pm

Carnival Monday Youth Mas- 11am to 3pm

Carnival Monday T-Shirt Bands- 2pm -5pm

Carnival Tuesday – costume band parade 11am to 3pm

For more information about Dominica Carnival visit this page

Official Ceremony to Be Held at Windsor Park Sports Stadium

Roseau, Dominica – January 14, 2016 The opening parade and official ceremony for Mas Domnik 2016 is expected to be filled with fun, color and vibrancy. The event kicks off this Saturday, January 16^th2016 from 3:00PM. Vice chairperson of the

(L-R) Mrs. Kathleen Cuffy Jno.Jules, Product Promotions Manager at DDA; Mrs. Charlene White-Christian, Vice Chairperson of the Carnival Road Parade Committee; Mr. Valantine Cuffy, Carnival 2016 Promoter

Carnival Road Parade Committee, Mrs. Charlene White-Christian, is pleading to spectators to remain on the sidewalks at all times, particularly during the parade of Bwa Bwa groups. This will not only aid in the prevention of safety mishaps but also promote the free flow of movement through the streets of Roseau. She strongly discourages the public from “cutting across streets or moving onto the [parade route] to take photos.”  Mrs. White-Christian also emphasized that there should be no “throwing of promotional items” from moving vehicles; instead designated persons should walk along the parade route to hand these items out.

A number of groups – advertising, traditional, community, pageantry and cheerleaders – have already registered for the upcoming parade. All groups wishing to participate are encouraged to contact Dominica Festival Committee (DFC) for

Masqueraders at Mas Domnik 2015 Opening Parade; Photo Credit: DDA

registration by Friday, January 15^th for the latest. Those wishing to bring their own music system are advised to inform DFC ahead of time so the necessary preparations can be made. Groups are expected to assemble on Victoria Street outside of the Roseau Public Library from 1:30PM. The route for the annual parade, which begins at 3:00PM, will begin on Victoria Street, then onto Dame Eugenia Charles Boulevard followed by a right turn onto King George V Street, a left onto Great George Street, a right onto Kennedy Avenue, a left onto Bath Road, a right onto the Windsor Park Sports Stadium Link Road and finally culminating at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium for the opening ceremony. Advertising floats will not be allowed to enter the stadium. The official ceremony is a free and open event and all are invited to come and support Mas Domnik 2016 – The Real Mas.

Ms. Ferdina Frampton, FLOW’s Marketing & Communications Executive, reinstated her company’s role in sustaining Dominica’s culture by supporting various Carnival events and activities such as Calypso events, the Princess Show, Miss Teen Dominica Pageant, and various T-shirt and costume bands. Product Promotions Manager of Discover Dominica Authority, Mrs. Cuffy Jno.Jules, has urged the public to sponsor Carnival activities, whether in full or in part. Partial sponsorship can go towards part of major events, such as the National Carnival Queen pageant rounds. Potential sponsors are invited to join DDA, DFC, and private event organizers to make Mas Domnik 2016 a success.

Upcoming events this weekend include Showdown Mas Camp Calypso Tent, Stardom Tent, Pan in the Sand, Calypso semifinals and the Princess show. Visit www.facebook.com/dominicafests for Mas Domnik’s full calendar of activities.

Read the full Carnival 2016 Press Release here

To learn more about Dominica’s Carnival or to Join a Carnival Band visit avirtualDominica.com

Carnival Events in January

Mas Domnik Opening Parade

Mas Domnik 2015 ~ The opening parade for Dominica’s Carnival Celebrations was held on Saturday, January 24th.

It began at the Pottersville Savanah, ending on the Roseau Bayfront, with the reigning Carnival Royalty — Queen Francine and King Dice — leading the way. The streets quickly filled with droves of spectators as Sensay, Flagwavers, Stiltwalkers, Pageant contestants, School floats, and Monarchs waved to and paraded for the crowd.

The opening of Mas Domnik Carnival 2015 was full of colour and energy, fueling excitement of things to come. Costume Bands showed off their costumes for this year, and a new band called Hysteria was on the road. Visiting bands from Martinique were also with us to kick off Mas Domnik 2015.

• Read more about Carnival in Dominica ~ and find out how YOU can Play Mas with us!

When we reached Roseau, we followed the sound of the steel pan band and sure enough there were crowds of people in each road dancing and partying. It was a brilliant atmosphere for day-break, gently easing you into the vibes for what was to come a little later.

Being my first time attending Carnival in Dominica I had to get involved, so  I joined the WCK t-shirt band with some friends. We got to meet so many people in the parade, all of you there enjoying the amazing atmosphere for the day.

What a feeling as everyone in the ‘band’ moves back and forth to the music, then the chorus kicks in and ‘Jump Up’ really begins! You go into Carnival with a white t-shirt, but come home covered in everyone else’s glitter and paint – in my book that’s the sign of a fun carnival. I was pleased with myself as I made it home in good time too, as I needed to get some rest for round 2 on Tuesday.

Carnival Tuesday is the day where the beautiful costumes get shown off in all their glitz and glam. The craftsmanship that goes into these outfits is just amazing.

Town was alive again, pulsating with the sounds of Dominica; laughter, music, cheering and singing.

Nous Konnet Viv is the title of the Mas Domnik 2014 theme song, for those of you who aren’t sure what this means, it translates to We Know How To Live – I couldn’t agree more!

For more on Dominica Culture and Events visit avirtualdominica.com

To read more about Kim’s adventures click here

What a colourful explosion of culture and heritage on display in the streets of Roseau today. Dominica’s Carnival got started at 4 am with “J’Ouvert” – the traditional opening jump-up of Mas Domnik. Then Traditional Ole Mas and School Bands hit the streets for their rounds from 10 am.  See some of the parade below.

From 2 pm this afternoon the T-Shirt Bands will hit the parade route.

Then don’t miss tomorrow’s parade – Carnival Tuesday features the newly crowned Carnival King & Queen and the Costume Bands. See you there!

For more about Carnival see these resources:

• Carnival in Dominica
• 2014 Carnival Winners

Since my arrival in Dominica in October I’ve had a pretty busy calendar of events, it’s been awesome!

The first event I attended was Creole in The Park. Luckily I’d managed to be-friend a Dutch guy and we’d agreed to meet up for the 3 days of the festival; it wasn’t hard for us to spot each other, I’m short and covered in tattoos whilst he has blonde hair and blue eyes.

We danced, drank, danced some more, and we were even taught some moves by new friends! It was a brilliant introduction to my escape to Paradise.

Next up was World Creole Music Festival, 3 incredible nights of being fully immersed in the Caribbean vibes and rhythms. By this time I had heard a few of the songs on the radio or in town, and some of the artists had been at Creole in The Park too. The beats kicked in, the crowd erupted and everyone was dancing.

Roseau’s festivities didn’t stop after this. The next day there was a sea of colour going through town for the National Costume Parade, a steel pan march leading the way, then the most beautiful Creole outfits, traditionally known as Madras. Here’s a photo, as my description won’t even come close:

This was all during Dominica’s Independence celebrations, which coincided nicely with my first month here. What a great introduction to Dominica! But everyone was telling me “wait till Carnival, this is nothing!”

This month, the Opening Parade for Carnival in Roseau was, as promised, fantastic. The town was alive, everyone was out to party and that they did.

I’ll be sure to let you know how my first time “playing mas” goes – I can’t wait for Carnival!

For more on Dominica Culture and Events visit avirtualdominica.com

To read more about Kim’s adventures click here

Carnival in Dominica ~ 2013

While Dominica’s 2013 Carnival Celebrations have come to a close, the high-flying spirit brought on by nearly two months of celebrating is still in the air.

There are several aspects to Dominica’s Carnival including Calypso, Pageantry, and the Carnival *Jump-Up* Parades.

Calypso

Calypso is a wonderful Caribbean art form and Dominica is well-known for producing many talented Calypsonians – well rounded individuals who can sing, dance, write songs and, above all, PERFORM.

Calypso Songs, often infused with double-entendre, address social ills, make statements about political or social positions, or simply entertain the listeners – sometimes a mixture of all three!

These days, Dominica has two competing ‘tents’ (groups of Calypsonians) who each have their own weekly competition leading up to the Grand Finale Calypso Monarch Competition where one Monarch is crowned.

• Stardom Calypso’s King of the Tent
• Showdown Mas Camp’s Champ of the Camp
• Junior Monarch Competition for the youth

More information can be found on our website:

• Calypso in Dominica
• 2013 Calypso Winners

Pageantry

While the Miss Dominica Pageant is the biggest and best-known event, there are several other competitions including:

• Miss Teen Dominica
• Princess Pageant
• Mother’s Queen Pageant

Miss Dominica is crowned the Carnival Queen and goes on to represent Dominica in regional and international competitions, as well as being a spokesperson for her cause at home in Dominica.

The Carnival Queen and Queen Contestants during the Carnival Tuesday Parade ~ February 12th 2013

Carnival Jump Up

Also known as ‘playing mas’, two days of Carnival parades blanket the streets of Roseau from early Monday morning through late Tuesday night. Dominica’s Carnival is an up-close & personal experience, where you can easily join a costume band, a t-shirt band or a get a few friends together and join in Jouvert (4 am to 6 am Carnival Monday morning).

Music, dancing, food & drink, vibrant splashes of colour, mixed with cultural heritage and Carnival’s own history, all blend together to make Dominica’s Carnival a unique and fun experience.

Images from Carnival Monday Jump Up  ~ February 11th 2013

Last Lap

All the contestants, led by the reigning Carnival King and Queen, participate in the costume parades on Carnival Monday & Tuesday.

See our website for more information about Carnival in Dominica

The Opening Parade is an annual event that showcases some of the exciting bands to come during Dominica’s Carnival Jump-Up on February 20th & 21st this year.

Enjoy this brief video showing the start of the Opening Parade.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/GQ8EN3K7ShQ]

For more information about Dominica’s Carnival and the Schedule of Events, visit avirtualDominica.com.