Carnival band Xodus kicked off its 2020 season last Saturday with a grand reveal of the costumes which its revellers will don for the road parade next year.

According to co-director of Xodus Carlos Phillpotts, when the team sat down to create a theme for the 2020 carnival season, they wanted something that would create resonance with soca lovers and he believed that they have achieved that.

“The theme ‘Enchanted’ gave the designers a lot of room for creativity and we also wanted a theme that would allow patrons to step away from their everyday experience and live their fantasy out on the road. The band launch was fantastic. It achieved all our objectives in regards to having a massive turn out, our execution agencies provided an amazing set up, our models and costumes were stunning,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

The 15 costume sections are drawn from popular fairytale characters — Redd, Poison Ivy, Sialia, Crazy Heart, Zen, Storm, Jinx, Black Widow, Kai, Genie, Wild Apache, Khaleesi, Vixen, Snow and Nala.

Phillpotts is pleased with what Xodus has been able to achieve in its three years of existence, noting that the continued growth of the band can be attributed to several factors.

“The growth has come from a combination of strong local and international marketing but also our reputation for great service, quality costumes and the best experience on the road,” he shared.

Meanwhile, Xodus supporters were enthused by the night’s showcase.

“I loved all the costumes, I cannot choose. I will definitely be jumping with Xodus in 2020 because it’s the only band,” said University of the West Indies student Renae Wilson.