Let's Play Mas!

It’s Carnival time! Playing Mas is all about celebrating Caribbean culture with people from islands all over the Caribbean as they come together to share their pride and love for the people and where they come from. The origins of Playing Mas, similar to the origins of J’ouvert, started with the Masquerade balls of the French that the African slaves could not take part of so they formed their own, parallel celebration covered themselves in mud or oil in order to remain hidden as they staged their own masquerade balls composed of their rituals and traditions, along with imitations of the French and their rituals. Once the slaves were freed from their forced labor, their act of imitating their captors morphed into a celebration of their freedom. 

Playing Mas is just a big parade in which participants are dressed in elaborate costumes and dance down the street to a Soca band, steel band or DJ. When observing mas from the sidelines one will witness many colorful and bright costumes that are often decorated with feathers and sequins. The people wearing these costumes are said to be “playing Mas”.

Led by a King and Queen these participants are organized into what is known as a band, they compete against other bands for the title “Band of the Year”. The King and Queen can be easily spotted from the crowd for they are dressed in extremely large costumes that often require wheels or extensions to assist with carrying it down the street. People wait all year for this event and even though it relies on the same premises the costumes get bigger, the music gets louder, the food gets better, and the crowds continue to multiply. Nothing comes close to this event, it is vibrant, culturally enlightening and just a day of pure fun and enjoyment!