The Introvert’s Guide to Surviving Carnival 2020 (On-the-road)

I personally know some people that attend every.single.event. Their strategy is to show their face for an hour at an event and then head to the next. While that works for them – that certainly won’t work for you! 

5 minute read

With all the hype and commotion surrounding Carnival 2020, you already know that the road experience is going to be one to remember! If you’re an introvert and have taken a hiatus from Carnival, or have never played yet, this is your ultimate guide to surviving the Carnival 2020 road experience! In my previous post, I talked about surviving the “off-the-road” activities such as the fetes and events. If you haven’t read that article yet, I encourage you to do so with this link before you read this post! In this final part, I’ll be talking about the road carnival experience and how to prepare… because that’s what we do as introverts, right?! Not let’s get into it.

1.    Carnival weekend pacesetting

Carnival weekend officially begins from Fantastic Friday to Carnival Sunday. Some might even start from Carnival Thursday and our extrovert buddies have definitely been partying since Monday, straight into the weekend. There’s so much parties to choose from for carnival week and weekend, and I personally know some people that attend every.single.event. Their strategy is to show their face for an hour at an event and then head to the next. While that works for them – that certainly won’t work for you! Remember first and foremost to pace yourself and be in the moment. You won’t enjoy yourself if you’re constantly being whisked away from party to party, at all!

2.    Emergen-C is your new BFF

I’d recommend that you go to your local pharmacy and stock up on some Emergen-C because a good dose of vitamin C in your body, before and after your carnival weekend events may prevent or reduce the severity of hangovers by speeding up the metabolism of alcohol by the liver, says the Healthy Drinker. Not to mention, Emergen-C has electrolytes which will help keep you restore your water levels once the alcohol has dehydrated you. And let’s be honest, the Emergen-C is probably the only supplement of mineral-value that you’ll be consuming anyway!

3.    Take it easy Carnival Sunday

Carnival Sunday should be your rest and recuperate day. Many people choose to do a breakfast party on Carnival Sunday, but I wouldn’t advise this especially if you’ve been out the night before. Take this day to do whatever little errands for your costume; probably hit the gym; or chill out at home with friends. I know a chick that spends her Carnival Sunday wrapped up in a hydrating clay mask and saran wrap like a gyro and I thought that’s probably one of the best ideas for recharging! Book yourself a spa session or massage if you feel the need! You want to build up and preserve any energy for Jouvert and Carnival Monday and Tuesday. The worst feeling in the world is to feel tired and exhausted on the road. We introverts don’t have that kind of stamina or personality to keep going and going – and that’s ok!

4.    Jouvert all the way!

Jouvert is the grassroots of Carnival Jouvert is probably truer to the historical context of Carnival than Carnival Monday and Tuesday itself because of its origins in the emancipation of slaves who at the time in history – were forbidden to partake in the masked balls staged by the French colonisers, estate owners and upper class. That’s the summarised version and the NCC has a better chronology of events here! This is all to say that Jouvert is a must for the complete Carnival experience! In my opinion, it’s the actual official street party that kicks off Carnival Monday and Tuesday. When planning your Jouvert experience, be sure to facilitate at least a couple of hours for an extended power nap before you meet the band on Carnival Monday. Your mental health will thank you later! Not sure which Jouvert band to play with? Check out Friends for the Road! Tell them I send yuh!

5.    Carnival Monday and Tuesday

Let’s revert back to our first point in this article – pacesetting! Same rule applies for Carnival Monday and Tuesday. You’re in the band with your team and you want to be in this moment and be in a state of “responsible intoxication” where you can take on the full sensory experience that Carnival has to offer. Also, you want to be functioning well-enough that you can have some road etiquette and respect for your fellow masqueraders. The worst is to have a drunk next to you heavily breathing and talking in your face; mashing your big toe; and being a complete dickhead. People remember those characters and it certainly shouldn’t be you! All-in-all remember to have fun! You only get to live this Carnival 2020 experience once. Sap up the moment, Savour the moment and maximize the “now”.

6.    Back to life – back to reality!

One of the overlooked aspects of a Carnival experience is normalising and transitioning back into reality. Both the fetes and bands do an incredible and seamless job of constructing a fantasy world where we get to leave our worries behind and party and drink all day and night. Oftentimes we get so consumed into this fantasy that we might seek it out once Carnival has been officially over. It’s the reason why “Carnival Tabanca” is a thing. A good idea is to do something non-Carnival related to make that transition from high energy, back to normalcy. A “las-lap” party is out of the question (for introverts). You’d have to find out for yourself what that activity would be because its personal. It could mean taking advantage of the Ash Wednesday church mass or hoping on a plane and going to Tobago for a couple of days. Whatever you do, it should be an activity in which you reflect – peacefully – on the amazing time you had and a hopeful anticipation for your next experience.