On Sunday, the streets of the Corporate Area will be ablaze with colour and glitz as carnival revellers are scheduled to chip, dance and wine their way from Liguanea down Hope Road on to Lady Musgrave Avenue, to Trafalgar Road. From there the party will move to Waterloo Road, West King’s House Road, down Constant Spring Road eventually culminating in New Kingston at the Golf Academy.

On Sunday, the streets of the Corporate Area will be ablaze with colour and glitz as carnival revellers are scheduled to chip, dance and wine their way from Liguanea down Hope Road on to Lady Musgrave Avenue, to Trafalgar Road. From there the party will move to Waterloo Road, West King’s House Road, down Constant Spring Road eventually culminating in New Kingston at the Golf Academy.

The change in route from previous years is part and parcel of improving the experience of the partiers.

Ed Khoury, a Bacchanal Jamaica director, explained that: “Our patrons have been requesting a change of route to wider roadways to enhance comfort and security. It is also important that we can easily accommodate the many spectators who want to view the spectacle that is Bacchanal Jamaica. We worked out the route in consultation with the police and are certain that it will meet the expectations of revellers and onlookers.”

Leading the musical charge will be KES the Band. Top soca DJs from across the Caribbean and North America including Private Ryan, Sayeed, The Dream Team, Barrie Hype, Nuphoric, Lantern, Smoke, Sanjay, Narity and Back 2 Basics are billed for the occasion.

“Taking this already exciting package off the wall is the CAL Invaders Steel Band which is being brought in from Trinidad and Tobago by Caribbean Airlines as their sponsorship of Bacchanal Jamaica,” said Michael Ammar III.

“We expect this to up the ante on the road as the steel band is carnival and this is the one element that we have not been able to supply consistently in Jamaica, so we are happy that Caribbean Airlines has partnered with us in this way.”

A recent addition to the road march is the judging of the costume bands.

“Judging was reintroduced in 2016 with the winning costumes were Pure Country-sponsored Le Masquerade and Dreams. Judging will again take place this year with the two main judging points being in Liguanea at the beginning and at Waterloo Road by Devon House,” said Charmaine Franklin, a Bacchanal Jamaica director.

Franklin explained the competition was a means of encouraging “more cohesiveness in the costume sections and building a more impressive spectacle”. The awards will be the Best Costume 2017 and Spirit of Carnival 2017. She emphasised that “each section will be led by a banner which will display the name of the section and revellers must get into their section behind the banner after the lunch stop.”

Michael McMorris, another director said: “The lunch stop will be an event in itself, contributing to the premium road experienced promised to our revellers. Features include a pop-up spa and refresh tent for the ladies to repair the make-up, a 40-foot bar with premium liquor, and a stage performance. In addition, there will be party trucks interspersed with music trucks for the whole parade. Bacchanal Jamaica will, absolutely, be the best carnival experience ever.”