KINGSTON, Jamaica — Three years and three months. That’s how long Carnival lovers waited before they were able to take to the streets of Kingston once more for the annual road march. Still, although it was a long time coming, the event did not miss a beat and delivered exactly the right amount of soca goodness revellers were anticipating.

It was seven full hours of feting and frolicking in the glorious ‘jamdung’ sun as patrons paraded through the streets of the Corporate Area in a sea of colourful costumes — a sight that no doubt transported revellers and curious onlookers alike, of a time before the dreaded coronavirus subjected the population to the recluse of their homes.

Sporadic outbursts of ‘we outside’ erupted from the crowds as participants of both the Bacchanal and Xodus bands held each other close and bid good riddance to the days of social distancing.

Xodus reveller, Shanelle Kellyman, told OBSERVER ONLINE that she felt blessed to be able to enjoy her first road march. Kellyman could hardly stand still as she recalled the disappointment of 2020 when with less than six weeks to go before the scheduled road march, Jamaica recorded its first case of COVID-19.

“I wanted to jump in 2020 and that would have been my very first time. I was so excited, all my friends and I made the necessary preparations and were just waiting to touch the road when the pandemic began. Not being able to go to Carnival that year was a huge disappointment for me,” she said. “But you know what? We waited, we stayed inside, we stayed safe and today we’re able to do what we always wanted. And the experience so far has been amazing. I am 100 per cent happy and already looking forward to Carnival 2023.”

A long-time reveller with the Bacchanal band, who gave her name only as Margaret, shared similar sentiments. She expressed that after skipping 2020 and 2021, Carnival 2022 was everything and more.

“I am just happy to be back outside once more. Today was just perfect. The weather was great, the people were great and the vibes were just pure fun. We definitely missed this,” she said. “Carnival is about people coming together, enjoying each other’s company and some great soca music. After three years of not being able to gather like this, I’m sure everyone is just overjoyed to be here.”

Co-director of the Bacchanal band, Michael Ammar Jr was a picture of gratitude as he spoke with OBSERVER ONLINE. Like the revellers, Ammar Jr was also excited to be back on the road. Indicating that Carnival 2022 was Carnival 2020 re-incarnated, the popular businessman said he was overwhelmed at the turnout for Road March and even more excited for Carnival 2023 next April.

“This is a miracle. After three years and three months, we had a band that was 80 percent of its normal size with a spirit on 200 per cent. We couldn’t ask for much more,” he said. “Bachannal has never been about size or number of trucks, we’ve always been about family and when family are together, we always enjoy ourselves and that was what we did.”

“We’ll be back in April next year for Carnival 2023 because this was just a taste of what we can give. We’ve had three years and three months to plan for April 2023 so that will definitely be bigger and better as we try to get back to the kind of normal we’re used to,” he added.