Xodus promises ‘new twists’ during carnival week

Carnival season is in full swing, and revellers all across Jamaica and the diaspora are either in a jubilant mood, or about to be, as the big three carnival bands – Xodus and Bacchanal, Yard Mas and GenXs – continue to roll out their events leading up to road march this Sunday.

For carnival band, Xodus, they are hoping to put “new twists” on their offerings this year.

In a conversation with The Gleaner, Xodus CEO, Pierre Goubault, shared what revellers could expect at Tailgate, Remedy and Fête Gala – the band’s signature events this year.

“For Tailgate this year, we added fun zones where patrons can try to beat the bull ride, rock climbing, [and] get a chance to dunk me in the dunk tank. Yes, they can dunk some of the Xodus team members,” Goubault said.

“We’re also doing prizes for best tailgate vehicle, best cooler, best grill, etc. It’s also now hippie dress themed. So it’s not just a party, it’s now filled with activations.”

Tailgate is set to take place this Thursday at the National Stadium, and is followed by another popular event, J’ouvert Paint Rave, on Friday.

“Bacchanal J’ouvert Paint Rave is the founding father of J’ouvert in Jamaica. A staple on every carnival calendar. The event never misses and every year we keep delivering a better product,” Goubault explained.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

Before fans experience the already known events, Xodus is rolling out an addition to its products, Fête Gala – which is set for tonight at The Ruins at The University of the West Indies.

Coined from the famous Met Gala, Goubault says the new kid on the block is the “answer” for calls for a premium soca event.

“When you talk about our theme for 2024, Mas Couture, we had to mix a high fashion event into our celebrations. So it was natural to create a premium event [where] revellers can embrace the ambience of the most high end soca party for the season,” the CEO said.

To reiterate the premium feeling, the band has woven Regency – which is one of Xodus’ biggest selling costume sections this year – into the event’s theme.

“This one is a regency red and gold dress attire…High heel friendly venue, with a host of celebrities like Voice from Trinidad and four surprise performances from the biggest names ever to come from Jamaica,” Goubault said.

All in all, Xodus is hoping to keep patrons happy and revelling the entire week before bringing the curtains down with their road march on Sunday –which will include more new twists as part of the festivities.

“The list of amenities are endless, between the Xperience zone activities at Devon House, the Campari Boulevard viewing party and Xodus party zones along our route. Not to mention [the] drink offerings on the road,” Goubault said.

Before the big day, fans will have one last chance to get ready with Remedy, which returns to the National Stadium on Saturday. The disco-wear themed event will include parading with three trucks leading revellers around the venue and a performance by GBM Nutron.

“We have made significant strides in improving [costume] distribution, our lunch spot and our road march operations with long security/marshal training programmes, retrofitted trucks that are purpose built to the service it will provide to revellers and our superior DJ and artiste line-up. This year’s experience will be our best show to date,” Goubault told The Gleaner.

kenrick.morgan@gleanerjm.com

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