Miami Carnival 2014: On the Road With Freaks Mas
By Sunday morning, Miami Carnival Weekend had already delivered an all-white fete and a paint-covered J’Ouvert.
Now it was time for feathers.
On Sunday, October 12, 2014, Miami Broward One Carnival celebrated its 30th anniversary, bringing the Parade of Bands to the Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition Center for a full day of mas, Soca and Caribbean culture.
Julianspromos hit the road with Freaks Mas and its 2014 presentation, Alter Ego, with Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson and Intrigue Lane hosting from inside the mas while Julian C. Hackett filmed and later edited the coverage.
Freaks Mas Presents “Alter Ego”
Freaks Mas was one of 17 masquerade bands scheduled to cross the Miami Carnival stage that year.
Its presentation was titled Alter Ego, and the Julianspromos cameras went straight inside the band rather than watching from outside the ropes.
Vivaa played mas in the colorful I and I section, with her costume designed by Stronjeh Creations.
Intrigue represented Fire & Ice, wearing a blue-and-orange presentation designed by DeGrind Mas.
The contrast made for a great visual: Vivaa surrounded by red, yellow and green feathers while Intrigue moved through the band in bright blue.
Hosting While Playing Mas
What makes the 2014 coverage especially fun to watch is that Vivaa and Intrigue were not standing on the sidelines with microphones waiting for Carnival to pass them.
They were inside it.
Both women were dressed in full costume, moving through Freaks Mas, interacting with masqueraders and bringing viewers into the experience as participants.
The gallery even catches Vivaa conducting interviews in costume and Intrigue taking the mic while still surrounded by the band.
That gave the coverage a completely different energy from a traditional event recap.
The hosts were playing mas too.
The Soca Soundtrack of Miami Carnival 2014
The original video is also a pretty good snapshot of what was moving the road in 2014.
The soundtrack runs through music from Kerwin Du Bois, Farmer Nappy, Machel Montano, Lil Rick, 5Star Akil, Lyrikal, Problem Child, Bunji Garlin, Mr Killa, Biggie Irie, Shal Marshall, Fadda Fox, Blaxx and others.
Songs including “Too Real,” “Big People Party,” “Haunted,” “We Have It,” “Ducking,” “Play D Mas” and “Ministry of Road” move through the video while Freaks Mas takes over the road.
And “Ministry of Road” turned out to be an especially appropriate ending.
Official Miami Carnival results later named Machel Montano’s song the 2014 Miami Broward Road March winner, followed by Lead Pipe & Saddis’ “Ah Feeling” and Machel’s “Haunted.”
Watch Miami Carnival 2014 With Freaks Mas
The Julianspromos highlights put viewers directly inside Freaks Mas’ Alter Ego presentation, following Vivaa, Intrigue and the masqueraders through Miami Carnival Sunday.
The original YouTube description also identifies both women’s Freaks Mas sections and designers and contains the full 20-song soundtrack used in the presentation.
Miami Carnival 2014 Photo Gallery
The photos take the road experience even further, with Vivaa, Intrigue, Freaks Mas masqueraders, colorful Alter Ego costumes, interviews and candid Carnival moments throughout the day.
Miami Carnival Turns 30
This was not just another Carnival Sunday.
2014 marked 30 years of Miami Carnival.
The official celebration ran from 11 AM to 11 PM, with the Parade of Bands kicking off at noon at the Miami-Dade County Fair & Expo Center. Seventeen mas bands were scheduled to compete, while the wider event included a Caribbean Village and a major concert presentation.
The announced concert lineup included Kerwin Du Bois, Iwer George, Ricardo Drue, Patrice Roberts, Farmer Nappy, Dil-E-Nadan, Red Hot Flames and Pumpa, with members of Power 105.1’s Breakfast Club hosting the performance stage.
For Julianspromos, though, the story of the day was happening on the road with Freaks Mas.
Three Days of Miami Carnival With Julianspromos
Looking back at the weekend as a whole makes the 2014 coverage even more interesting.
On Friday, October 10, Julianspromos was at Rise Miami Meets Shine NY at Virginia Key Beach, interviewing Soca artists and covering the all-white morning fete.
On Saturday, October 11, Vivaa, Chandy and Intrigue were covered in paint with GenX Red Antz at Miami Carnival J’Ouvert.
Then on Sunday, October 12, the weekend finished in full costume with Freaks Mas at the Miami Broward Parade of Bands.
Three consecutive days.
A beach fete.
J’Ouvert.
The road.
That is Miami Carnival Weekend from three completely different angles.
From the Julianspromos Archives
By 2014, Miami Carnival had become an important recurring assignment for Julianspromos.
The brand had already documented the Miami road in previous years, but the 2014 weekend showed how much the coverage had expanded.
Instead of arriving for only Carnival Sunday, Julianspromos was following the weekend from event to event, with multiple on-camera personalities, original interviews, photography and longer-form Carnival videos.
At the main Carnival, Vivaa and Intrigue were able to host while actually playing mas, while Julian worked behind the camera documenting the road.
That participant-first approach became an important part of the Julianspromos Carnival style: not simply showing viewers a parade, but bringing them inside the band.
And by the following year, that growing multi-event, multi-city approach would develop into the first formal Julianspromos Multimedia Carnival Tour.
Event Details
Event: Miami Broward Parade of Bands & Concert — 30 Years of Miami Carnival
Date: Sunday, October 12, 2014
Event Hours: 11:00 AM–11:00 PM
Parade Start: 12:00 PM
Venue: Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition Center
Address: 10901 Coral Way, Miami, Florida 33165
Julianspromos Mas Band: Freaks Mas
Freaks Mas Theme: Alter Ego
Vivaa Section: I and I — Designer: Stronjeh Creations
Intrigue Section: Fire & Ice — Designer: DeGrind Mas
Advance General Admission: $27
VIP: $100
Parking: Free
Julianspromos Hosts: Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson & Intrigue Lane
Camera: Julian C. Hackett
Editor: Julian C. Hackett
