Six Trends From Trinidad Carnival 2025 Worth Cheering About
Devotees of Trinidad Carnival study the season for sport. This means that we take meticulous, scholarly note of every single thing about the Caribbean's biggest annual bacchanal: which food was served at which fete (party); what soca song played however many times at said fete; who wore what onstage at which show; which soca performer lost his voice first for the season, on account of the obscene number of performances he or she completed on a given night (there ought be a Guinness Book of World Records category for that; odds are the iconic Trinidadian soca star Machel Montano would take the title). To be swept up in the season is, in short, to spend weeks saturated in frenzied running commentary about Carnival and only Carnival.
To that end, I distill the takeaways from Trinidad Carnival 2025, which wrapped with a joyous bang last month, into six trends worth cheering about, especially as we (and the omnipresent Carnival Bible TriniJungleJuice) gear up for more commentary on the broader Caribbean Carnival season ahead, from Jamaica to Barbados to Miami—and back to Trinidad again in 2026.
Advertisement for Mecka fete
Bringing Culture Back Never mind bringing sexy back—that's par for the course at Trinidad Carnival. It's a beautiful moment for bringing culture back. To be clear, it never left; for those who cared to partake in the traditional elements of Carnival—springing from the beautiful revolutionary legacy of the festival, rooted in histories of enslavement and the resurrection of African traditions—they have always been there for the taking. But now big-name promoters are finding ingenious ways to infuse modern-day Carnival fetes with the spiritual ritual that is Carnival.
Case in point: wOw Events' Mecka, a grand fete on the Queen's Park Savannah, where traditional Carnival characters like Blue Devils and Dame Lorraine—a parody of the French plantation wife—roam the grounds and the stage is blanketed with intricately costumed characters; and wOw's's Iron Park, my favorite fete for the season: in creative homage to the genius invention that is the steel pan, Trinidad's national instrument, the main event here is a pairing of famous pan orchestras with feted DJs for a pore-raising musical mashup. Another case in point: The annual Lost Tribe fete, Feteyard, selects one Carnival character to, for its theme, reinvent in modern-day context; this year they ingeniously transformed the stick fighting tradition—a local martial art rooted in African traditions—into a contemporary boxing match, complete with ring as stage, stunning stick fight performance to open the show and comic-book decor throughout. Dear Promoters: more of this vibe, please!
Opening of Welcome to Freetown
Shaking Up the Same-Old Same Old The unofficial mantra of Trinidad Carnival might as well be, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' This is because you will go to the same sort of fetes, hear the same soca songs and see the same performers for days or weeks on end. And you know what? It will not get old. The whole Carnival experience is actually a fine line between indoctrination, brainwashing and glorious community building.
But dare I say it: every now and then, in the midst of the bacchanal, you might crave something different. Now there are options. At Bass Yard parties, you get your soca blended with electronic music and drum n bass, in a dance-heavy, intimate setting. This year brought the ruthlessly popular Nigerian party Obi's House to Trinidad Carnival, which meant a chance to hear Afrobeats and Amapiano with a funky-cool pan-African crowd. And the annual Welcome to Freetown show blends Carnival energy with Carnival consciousness, as the six-part musical collective known for incisive lyrics and creative expression perform with vibrancy and passion.
King of Soca Nostalgia: Bunji Garlin
Old-School Vibes Come Back Again Back in the day, as Carnival veterans like to say, Carnival parties were not the fancy affairs they are today. There were no cell phones, which meant that if you attended a fete, you were not there for swiping and selfies. You were there to dance, sweat, jump and wave. You wore sneakers and t-shirts. And you left drunk, exhausted and exhilerated.
There is a soca star whose lyrical currency is nostalgia for those days: Bunji Garlin. And this year he launched a fete that is actually a movement: Hard Fete—its title taken from his 2023 smash hit about the good-old days of Carnival—instructed attendees to wear shorts, sneakers and flag; leave your phones at home, came the directive, and be ready to jump and sweat. It was his music brought to life—a glorious soca time machine that certainly started something big.
Simple-yet-impactful innovation: Self-serve drink trucks on the road with Tribe
New-School Things Make Life Easier While we're in nostalgia mode, it is worth noting that once upon a time part of the experience of Trinidad Carnival was hustling for fete tickets. There was no easy way to obtain them, after all; it was a kind of scavenger hunt involving knowing someone who knows someone who has one for sale—and when you finally got that ticket it felt like winning the lottery. Now the pressure is no more; we have new-school innovations: Island e-tickets is a powerful one-stop shop, and Haeven puts a whole curated Carnival package on one electronic wristband, which comes with its own VIP entrance at the fetes.
Other innovations: Carnival band Tribe—the inventor of the all-inclusive Carnival concept that's now de rigeur for the Carnival Monday and Tuesday experience—unveiled self-serve drink trucks, which might sound like a small thing but to anyone who has ever battled crowds wielding a cup to reach the bartender on that moving truck (i.e. anyone who has ever played mas), it's a grand innovation. Tribe also added a fan zone to its band, allowing revelers to cool down under colossal fans, and a beer bus serving draft beer and plenty of laughs.
Steel pan
Freedom Can be Free The words 'budget' and 'Trinidad Carnival' shall never be uttered in the same sentence. In fact, regulars' favorite thing to moan about, year after year, is the ever-mounting cost of Carnival fete tickets and costumes. But now there are ways to enjoy some bacchanal on a budget, proving that the freedom of Carnival can actually be free. So-called 'pavement limes'—free street parties attracting top soca performers and DJs—are staged all season long; the best one, by blockbuster promoters Scorch, transforms Ariapita Avenue into an all-inclusive fete (all-inclusive meaning it's not just for those who can afford it).
Each year the performances at the free John Cupid Carnival Village in the Queen's Park Savannah, run by the National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago, get better and better, serving up a variety of Trinidadian art forms, including the lyrical battles of Extempo music and the social commentary that is calypso. The steel pan yards all over Trinidad are nothing short of a gift to the masses, beckoning each night with magical music and local eats. And on select nights in Paramin, a village about 30 minutes from Port of Spain, the traditional Blue Devils—a Carnival character representing resistance and rebellion—take over town and transform the place into a mad street party like you've never seen before.
Yung Bredda performing at Stink + Dutty fete
A Younger Generation of Artists Gets Some Shine Carnival season is for the soca stars, who make the musical gas that fuels the whole ecstatic engine. Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin, Kes—they are soca royalty, and the whole of Carnival could not be without the likes of them. But now there are more opportunities for a newer generation of artists—performers like Yung Bredda and Nailah Blackman, both of whom earned hit tunes this season—to rise up and be heard. They even have their own platform: the launch of Ultimate Soca Champion saw up-and-coming artists compete for a cash prize; the Finals night was held live in the Savannah and attracted a vast crowd of fans.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
5 hours ago
- New York Post
Jessie Murph sparks outrage over controversial music video depicting domestic violence, pornography
Jessie Murph has fans in an uproar. The 20-year-old singer, who has been compared to Amy Winehouse, sparked a social media firestorm over the music video to her risqué new song '1965.' The video, which came out July 18, has been accused of glorifying pornography and domestic violence due to its graphic nature. 11 Jessie Murph in her '1965' music video. Jessie Murph/YouTube 11 Jessie Murph puts a gun in a man's mouth in the '1965' music video. Jessie Murph/YouTube 11 Jessie Murph lounging on a bed in her '1965' music video. Jessie Murph/YouTube Fans are particularly upset over a shocking sex scene that takes place in the middle of the video. In addition, a woman who appears to be Murph is depicted tied up while face down on a couch in the video. 11 Jessie Murph's '1965' music video has sparked intense backlash with fans. Jessie Murph/YouTube 11 Jessie Murph has been accused of glorifying violence and porn. Jessie Murph/YouTube Fans flooded the comments section of the song's YouTube upload — which has over 7 million views — to express their displeasure. 'The way my jaw dropped the floor, there's still time to unrelease this,' one fan wrote. 'The fact it's been 5days or whatever since the video had been uploaded and youtube still hasn't blurred that out is crazy work,' a different comment read. 11 Jessie Murph released '1965' on July 18. Jessie Murph/YouTube A third person said, 'I didnt think it would be this bad. I am forever traumatized this is diabolical.' 'Since when is pornography allowed on youtube?' someone else asked. More fans slammed Murph for including a child in the video right before the sex scene. 'So so messed up,' a fan said. 11 Jessie Murph with a young child in her '1965' music video. Jessie Murph/YouTube 'Not only is this song ahh, putting a child before such a explicit scene is crazy,' a different fan noted. '1965,' which is from Murph's newly released second studio album 'Sex Hysteria,' is filled with raunchy lyrics. 'We'd go to church on a Sunday, wake up on Monday/You'd go to work and I'd stay home and sing and do fun things/I might get a little slap-slap, but you wouldn't hit me on Snapchat,' Murph sings. 11 Jessie Murph attends Spotify's 2025 Songs of Summer Celebration in Los Angeles on July 23. Getty Images for Spotify 'I think I'd give up a few rights/If you would just love me like it's 1965,' she also sings. An insider told the Daily Mail that Murph's song and music video sparked outrage in the country music scene, with some comparing her to Kanye West. 'If she continues this and goes completely off the rails like Kanye, then people should have more conversations about the person she is rather than the artist she is,' the insider told the outlet. 11 Jessie Murph performing during The ACM Country Kickoff at Tostitos Championship Plaza in Frisco, Texas. Getty Images The Post has reached out to Murph's reps for comment. In a recent interview with Teen Vogue, Murph spoke about the intense reactions her music evokes from fans. 'I'm glad that I make people have some sort of reaction. I'd rather them be like, 'I hate you,' or 'I love you,' rather than, 'I feel indifferently,' I guess,' the Alabama native stated. 11 Jessie Murph seen in New York City on July 21. GC Images 'But still, I just find it f—ing weird… I don't have any hate in my heart… That's been something that I've been trying to figure out how to navigate and not react and get mad because it totally makes me be like, 'F–k you, b-tch,'' she added. Days after releasing her new album, Murph's performance to '1965' on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' was similarly bashed by fans online. 'how dare anybody be comparing this to Amy… you should all be ashamed smh,' one fan wrote. 11 Jessie Murph performs during Spotify's 2025 Songs of Summer Celebration. Getty Images for Spotify 'everything about this feels like an SNL skit. how is this real,' another fan said. Murph was discovered by uploading vlogs and covers on TikTok and YouTube. She had her breakthrough with her 2021 single 'Always Been You,' three years before releasing her debut studio album, 'That Ain't No Man That's the Devil.'
New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Billy Joel speaks out about rumors he's had DUIs in new documentary
The Piano Man is defending his reputation. In the newly released second part of the HBO documentary 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes,' the 76-year-old music icon responded to the longstanding rumor that he's gotten multiple DUIs over the years. 'You know, along with fame comes a lot of gossip, rumors. I didn't like the tabloid kind of press,' Joel said in the doc. 'For example, there's this rumor that I have all these DUIs. That never happened, but people keep repeating the myth: 'Oh, he's got so many DUIs.'' Advertisement 6 Billy Joel performs at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in Nov. 2024. Getty Images 'I never had a DUI,' he added, 'so f–k you.' Joel was first accused of drinking behind the wheel when he crashed a Mercedes-Benz in East Hampton, New York in June 2002. Less than a year later, he drove into a tree in Sag Harbor and had to be airlifted to a hospital. Advertisement 6 Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden in NYC in June 2023. Getty Images The 'Uptown Girl' singer suffered another accident in April 2004 when he crashed into a house in Long Island. The rumors about Joel led to 'Saturday Night Live' referencing his alleged drunk driving in a 2004 sketch that featured Horatio Sanz, who played the singer, chugging a bottle of pineapple schnapps and crashing into several walls and mailboxes while driving a group of girls to a party. However, Joel has repeatedly denied that he's ever gotten a DUI. Advertisement 6 Billy Joel performs in Melbourne, Australia in Dec. 2022. WireImage 'I had gone through a breakup and was really broken up about it, and I decided, 'I'm drinking too much. I should go to rehab,'' Joel told The New York Times Magazine in 2013. 'But people made a connection, like, 'Oh, he went there because he was in a car accident from drinking.' No.' 'I never had a DUI in my life,' he stated. 'That's another fallacy. Look at the police records.' 6 Billy Joel on Father's Day 2025. billyjoel/Instagram Advertisement In his documentary, Joel called the press 'mean' and admitted that he doesn't always enjoy being in the spotlight. 'Having that much attention paid to you is not easy,' he said. In 2005, Joel entered rehab following what he called an 'ultimatum' from his then-wife, Katie Lee. He entered the Betty Ford Center for a stint, then temporarily stopped touring once his time at the center was over. 6 Billy Joel attends MSG Entertainment and Billy Joel special franchise announcement at Chase Square at Madison Square Garden. Getty Images The 'Honesty' singer has been sober for several years now. 'I stopped [drinking] a couple of years ago,' Joel told the Los Angeles Times in 2023. 'It wasn't a big AA kick. I just got to a point where I'd had enough.' 6 Billy Joel at SiriusXM Studios in Los Angeles in Oct. 2024. Getty Images for SiriusXM Advertisement 'I didn't enjoy being completely inebriated, and it probably created more problems in my life than I needed,' he added. Both parts of 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes' are now streaming on HBO Max.
Black America Web
6 hours ago
- Black America Web
A Psychologist Explains Why The Nicki Minaj Challenge Became A Viral Sensation
Source: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Getty Since #TheNickiMinaj challenge swept the internet last week amid the rapper's puzzling and pointed jabs at fellow music artists like SZA and Doechii, over one billion social media users have hopped on books, stacked dumbbells, and pool ledges to prove their physical aptitude on heels. The trend, that popped up seemingly out-of-the-blue and has now spread like wildfire, is an homage to a pose Nicki Minaj clocked in her 2013 music video, 'High-School,' balancing on sky-high beige heels beside a pool while rocking a long blonde wig and bubble-gum pink bikini. Twelve years later, an ordinary scene from an old rap video is now one of the most viral moments of the 2025 summer run, racking up over one billion views and counting. Every post appears aimed at outdoing the one before it, with TikTokers upping the stakes by balancing on increasingly outrageous household items like soda cans or cooking pots. So what's behind the latest wave of internet peacocking? We spoke to Columbia-trained psychologist, Bea Arthur, about why the high-heeled challenge has the social media world in a chokehold. Feminine Strength In A #TradeWife Era Arthur said that one of the driving forces motivating the trend's popularity is the 'brag-a-docious aura' of Nicki herself. 'One of the things that makes Black women so awesome and Black people so awesome is that we give ourselves confidence, that cockiness,' she said. The pose celebrates feminine prowess and seemingly superhuman strength, which is a visually captivating combination. 'The core strength in heels, it's so feminine. All the girls who were doing it in stripper shoes, I was like, 'Yes,'' Arthur said. 'And how they kept elevating it too. I think Ciara did it on three dumbbells,' she said. The pose is naturally defiant in a #tradewife era that demands women be more demure and submissive. Arthur said this trend calls forth a new message: 'The bad bitch will never die.' Showing Off Is In Our DNA Arthur, whose family is from Ghana, says that culturally, people of African descent tend to be 'shamelessly cocky,' a thread of gold we derived from our struggles. 'You look at hip-hop, we had to call ourselves kings. We had to put on gold. We had to flex, because it literally wasn't given.' She said in Black gay culture, we see the rise of the ballroom king and queen archetypes, who flounce about in a shamelessly vain way, but that's the magic marginalized people must tap into to create their own sense of value outside of systems of oppression. 'The human soul seeks balance at all times in our actions,' Arthur said. 'We seek to be understood, and we seek to be known on a subconscious level.' Participating in a trend like #thenickiminajchallenge is a chance to be seen and known by others, which is a form of self-regulation, albeit brief, she said. But seeking validation online can come with a dark side, especially for people who struggle with social isolation. Arthur said posting can cause spikes in dopamine, our brain's pleasure chemical, which can literally change social media from a pastime into an addiction. 'We're alone. Right? We're watching Netflix. We're scrolling. We're in the house. We're not connected. And so these likes feel like love.' she said. Social Media As Community Arthur said that it's no coincidence that TikTok's popularity took off during COVID when humans were socially and emotionally secluded for months. Viral trends give users an opportunity to feel a part of something, even if it's online and not in-person. 'We need community. We're social animals or tribal creatures, so we need to feel part of something and to be seen. These needs are innate, just like food and water,' she said. Being alone triggers cortisol, which is the body's stress hormone, to be more present in the blood, according to research. So viral trend participants may feel a sense of belonging and alignment by posting. 'That's why athletes love sports so much,' she said. 'Being with other people who love the game as much as you, is a beautiful thing, a necessary thing. Again, we are tribal social animals, but once it becomes ego serving, then it's an addiction, and then it's destructive,' Arthur said. SEE ALSO A Psychologist Explains Why The Nicki Minaj Challenge Became A Viral Sensation was originally published on
