J’Ouvert belongs to the Fanatics

When it comes to J’Ouvert, no one does it better than “J’Ouvert Fanatics”!

On Monday, July 7, thousands of Carnival lovers converged on the streets of Kingstown from the wee hours of the morning, intent on having fun, costumed in outrageous outfits and body paint.{{more}}

The official J’Ouvert competition, however, took place outside the Central Market where hundreds converged to witness the creative ways in which the masqueraders commented on issues taking place in society.

The competition was clearly no match for J’Ouvert Fanatics as they took almost all the top spots in this year’s event. The group took the top three positions in the J’Ouvert King and Queen competitions, with presentations including: “Pot holes”, “Financial Bail out”, “Ruler in I-ran”, which were first, second and third, respectively in the King competition, and “Dem ah cock up”, “Human Trafficking”, and “Swine Flu in Tongs”, which captured the first to third positions in the Queen competition, respectively. They also got the judge’s nod in the Group section and Traditional bands.

In the Individual section, Beach Front came in first with their presentation of “Swine Flu”. For the couples, Ledson Seaton and Company took the top spot with “Police Bruta Lee Tea”.

However, on a day that saw many of the usual faces on stage, it was the presentation of “Crime Busters”, put on by some members of the top brass of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, including Commissioner Keith Miller, that arrested the attention of persons gathered to read the placards carried by the lawmen.

The other groups in the competition included Verna Arthur and Company, with their presentation “Rain-O-Rama”, Green Hill with “Wen d day come” and Sharpes Massive with “Games for J’Ouvert”. The band “Country meets town” took the first position in the Paint Band category.(KW)