Painting the Streets Anguilla Style

The last fete of the carnival shebang! Here Anguilla goes again with the impeccable Parade of Troupes. Persons of all ethnicities from our sister Caribbean islands to the farthest reaches of the world joined us. The streets were indeed painted with Anguilla’s good vibes, energy and culture.

There were troupes for ALL persons! In our adventure on the street, age was just a number! Your willingness to participate, the only defining factor! Once you could move your hips and feet, joining a troupe would be your treat!

The sun on this particular day decided to shine upon The Valley a little more than usual. The colourful feathers and jewels on the costumes were very receptive of the sun’s gorgeous rays! Don’t even bother to ask whether the sun was blazing or not (it honestly was though). The energy expelled from the biggest star was gladly absorbed and put to use by our high-spirited dancers. Believe me! With the help of soca, standing around and not moving to the beat of the music was not an option.

Let me not forget the winners of the various competitions and pageants which took place earlier that week. Showcased atop vehicles and floats, they greeted the crowd gracefully followed by the resonating sounds of soca bands and DJs – each accompanied by their own troupe.

Several troupes had masquerades parading the streets, namely; Crucial Movements, Regnant Allure, Players, Island Revellers, Luxe Mas, Elements of Beauty & Glamour, Klassique Old Timers, Island Majorettes and the winning troupe, Majestic Gems! They all had varying colours such as gold, pink, red, orange, white, blue and many more.

Recommended for you: Find out how to join an Anguilla Troupe

I must commend all troupers for dancing their way colourfully from the Coronation Park to the Landsome Bowl with undying energy! They all, especially Majestic Gems, wowed the judges who were placed in different locations. Can you imagine walking that whole route without any ‘lit’ music and persons among you? Man, what a dead scene that would be! And kudos to the winning band of road march, Exodus HD, for contributing to a lively fest. Check out the winners circle of the 2016 Anguilla Summer Festival Competitions.

What I loved most, other than their stellar costumes, was the diversity and variations among each troupe. For instance, Majestic Gems was themed ‘Nations United’ and it consisted of costumes with flags and colour representing other islands including Anguilla. Klassique Old Timers, on the other hand, consisted of persons who are “young at heart”. And not only that! But, Luxe Mas even had WWE Divas, along with their film crew, participating in the revelry with flashing hues!

Now, as a keen observer of the festivity, my feeling towards it is one of pure excitement and bliss. Just from the scenery; blue skies to a colour dash grooving through the streets. Try depicting an artist making a stroke of paint on a canvas creating a variety of colours. Not to look like a mess; but put together to complement each other. Then to feel the bass of the music pounding and moving through my body made me feel as though I was a part of a troupe. I went from climbing onto a wall to get a better look to actually maneuvering my way into it!

Engaging with the dancers couldn’t have felt any better. With all the vibrant colours, spontaneous costumes and just observing the genuine smiles and laughter and the carefree attitude of everyone was really a joy to see. You should have seen how we left the streets! Think of a really big piñata exploding above ground. Confetti here, confetti there, confetti EVERYWHERE.  People were enjoying life, enjoying it Anguilla style!

How to be a part of a troupe for Parade of Troupes

Find out all the troupes, their costumes and how to join!

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