‘One Love’ Carnival
BACCHANAL Jamaica and Xodus Carnival are joining forces to provide revellers with a unique mega-carnival experience.
The announcement was made at Tac Bar located at Devon House in St Andrew on Friday.
Michael Ammar Jr, co-director of Bacchanal Jamaica, said it’s been a long time coming.
“It was 22 years ago that Bacchanal was formed, and it was formed because of what we saw as a need to something more than what we were doing before. This is the perfect marriage. Xodus has the logistics and Bacchanal has the experience and legacy and between hype and legacy, we’re supposed to get a really good turnout,” he told the Jamaica Observer shortly after announcement.
Carnival revellers can see the partnership come to life on Saturday, November 19, at the Xodus Sweet Treats Launch when all the 2023 costumes, including those from Bacchanal designers, will be showcased.
The collaboration will continue throughout the season with Bacchanal and Xodus supporting each other’s events, including: Rum for Breakfast, Xodus Tailgate, Bacchanal J’Ouvert and Remedy.
“We are gonna be the ultra premium part of the band and we’ll execute the road, the lunch stop,” he added.
Carnival Road March returned this year after a two-year hiatus due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
According to Scott Dunn, managing director of Dream Entertainment, the mandate is to foster togetherness among carnival lovers.
“We hope to achieve unity in the carnival where everybody can feel comfortable. Carnival is really about love and coming together,” he told the Observer.
He further said that it’s a long-term agreement.
“It’s something that we’ve been talking about for a while. This is here to stay,” Dunn said.
Ultimately, the strength will be best exemplified when Carnival in Jamaica culminates with the Road March on Sunday, April 16, 2023. With Xodus & Bacchanal combined on the streets of Kingston, onlookers can look forward to the spectacle of 6,000 costumed revellers, 15 large trailers and the best DJs and artistes from the Caribbean. In the past, Xodus and Bacchanal have showcased all the heavyweights in soca, including Machel Montano, Kes, Bunji Garlin and Voice.