Directors of GenXs Carnival are anticipating much greater support for the 2024 season after they unveiled costumes from nine sections under the theme ‘Unleash the Dragon’ during their launch at The Ruins, on The University of the West Indies, Mona campus, on Saturday.

“Last year was a huge success, and we thought that we presented ourselves in a manner that the people appreciated. Ultimately, that’s the most important thing. The message that we got is that we should return… This launch and this presentation was actually better than last year. I think the patrons were very excited to see what we had to offer, [and] I don’t think we disappointed. We had one of the strongest collections of costumes on display,” Co-director Matthew Waddell told the Jamaica Observer.

The sections presented include Wendamyr, Ferzandra, Ragnar, Drakonus, Volcarni, Xengsu, Aleron, Magnus, and Pyrax.

The Miami-based band launched in Jamaica in 2022 at which time the costumes for Carnival 2023 were revealed.

Waddell also explained that the simple theme was curated in order to give designers free licence to creative expression.

“The inspiration behind the theme, I’m gonna be very real with you — we wanted it to be something very simple that the designers could just get without having to do too much explanation. Dragons, and what they represent mythically, in reality [and] thematically — the designers were really able to get a good hold of it, and I think they really brought it to life. We have an amazing collection,” he said.

The costumes are a kaleidoscope of colours ranging from red to various shades of blue, purple, neon pink, and green, gold, and orange.

Some patrons already have their eyes set on specific sections.

“That pink costume is definitely mine [referring to Ragnar],” Mellissa Smith told the Observer.

Jade Wilson, for her part, said: “I’m definitely feeling Xengsu or Pyrax.”