It’s Bacchanal Time as revelers gear up for Carnival
The energy was flowing on Thursday night on Dolphin Street as Southside Masqueraders displayed their colorful water-themed costumes and gyrated to soca beats. The band is one of the biggest senior bands for this year’s grand road march on September third. They have been practicing for months and are just about ready to put on one of their biggest shows for the bacchanal in the city streets. News Five’s Delahnie Bain joined in the pre-carnival fete on Thursday night.
Delahnie Bain, Reporting
Southside Masqueraders took over Dolphin Street on Thursday night in the first Senior Mas Camp of the celebration season. The high energy group put their costumes as well as their dance moves on display with the hopes of impressing the judges as they make a comeback to the road march after two years.
Marsha Smith
Marsha Smith, Band Leader, Southside Masqueraders
“Every year people doing the jungle or this or that so we decided let’s try the sea as a senior band. We want to do something different, colorful and entertaining.”
Delahnie Bain
“How many revelers do you have this year?”
Marsha Smith
“Well we have around a hundred and fifty—a hundred and twenty-five to one-fifty, around that area.”
Delahnie Bain
“Wow that’s huge.”
Marsha Smith
“For us having been out for two years I think we did good without much sponsoring but we have to big up Oceana and Smart and we got many more to big up.”
With Oceana as one of their main sponsors, Costume Designer, Pauline Bradley says they decided on an underwater theme.
Pauline Bradley
Pauline Bradley, Costume Designer, Southside Masqueraders
“This year’s theme we’re doing Under the Atlantis. Section one is King Triton; he is guardian of the Atlantis. Section two is Queen Ariel; she is the protector of the creatures in the underworld, under the water. She protects the corals, our gem, everything under the water. And section three is Queen Ursula; she is the destroyer. She will represent the oil that will destroy everything underwater if we do the oil drilling. Section one, King Triton, the revelers are portraying the reef and the colors are aqua blue, dark blue, green, white and our seabed is orange. A lot of people don’t know that so that’s the reason why orange is in that group. Section two you have orange, you have pink, purple, green; all the colors that you will find in our corals so that section is very colorful. Then section three is Queen Ursula and that section is black with silver and white.”
Southside Masqueraders began preparations from as early as April and band leader, Marsha Smith, is confident that their work and investments will pay off on carnival day.
Marsha Smith
“Like the song seh “Auntie and she nieces wah have them eena pieces; that’s what Southside coming to do. You all can expect dancers, fun, love, happiness and success out of Southside Masqueraders Carnival Band. Whenever we touch Yabra, Boulevard stretch right down to Marion Jones and B.T.L. Park, dah nothing but love and entertainment for the boulevard and yeah right to the end. Come out and be there for us because carnival is one of the highlights of the celebrations for me. This year they were saying no carnival but no, we didn’t back down. We bring carnival to the streets because that’s what the people want to see in Belize.”
Delahnie Bain for News Five.
On Saturday night, the king and queen of this year’s carnival will be selected at the MCC Grounds.
