My first paint party just happened to be Bacchanal J’ouvert, every time a paint party came up something had to come up in my life and block it, so this was my first. I have to say, it was amazing, unlike regular bacchanal that started at 8pm, J’ouvert started at 10pm ’til daylight.

The first order of business was buying drinks, we waltzed through the crowd, the vibes was just building at almost 12am. With liquor in our systems we danced, only the best Djs were chosen for bacchanal, while waiting for the performer, Destra or as she calls herself the Queen of Bakanal. Kerwin Dubois, another soca artiste, was her opening act, he sang and we wined, and waved but the crowd was waiting for the Queen.

She did an amazing set, but spent about 45 minutes trying to get rid of the segregation in the bacchanal, let me tell you how it went. She had urged the management to take down the barricade separating VIP from general admission, they refused, and for a good while she free styled lyrics, with her band Bakanal playing she sang, telling them to remove the fence. Nothing happened but she wouldn’t give up. She amped up the crowd and reasoned with us, she demanded we mash down the barricade. So she began to sing again, with one of her songs having lyrics like “mash dung de place” some of the patrons took heed and tore down the barricade.

That upset the promoters and she was asked to come off the stage, which upset the audience. We, in turn, started shouting all manner of things, including curse words until a unison of “we want a refund” echoed from the crowd. They brought Kerwin back on stage but in the end they made Destra return as well, to finish her set.

Then the paint started, we anticipated it but I wasn’t prepared for the cold white and yellow paint that flowed through the air. We danced, and painted each other’s bodies, friends and strangers alike. The fete continued until it was time to head on the road, the mini road march began at about 4:30 am. So we marched alongside the music trucks, wining and chipping down the road while some still threw paint.

That’s a Jamaican Bacchanal J’ouvert.

The aftermath!

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