Hollywood Carnival 2016: EPIC Mas Brings “SPECTRUM” to Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard exploded in feathers, color and Soca on Saturday, June 25, 2016, as the Hollywood Carnival Parade of the Bands returned to Los Angeles for another celebration of Caribbean and international culture.
The parade stretched approximately three miles along Hollywood Boulevard, moving from the Vermont Avenue area toward Highland Avenue before flowing into the Carnival Culture Village. It was the centerpiece of the fifth annual Los Angeles Culture Festival, held June 23–26, 2016.
For Julianspromos, the trip marked a third consecutive year at Hollywood Carnival. Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson returned as host of the road coverage, while Julian C. Hackett filmed and edited the footage.
Once again, much of the Carnival experience unfolded alongside EPIC Mas.
EPIC Mas Presents “SPECTRUM”
For Hollywood Carnival 2016, EPIC Mas presented “SPECTRUM,” a three-section costume collection built around color, light, movement and cultural diversity.
The presentation carried the message “United We Dance on Hollywood Blvd.”, expanding that idea through a celebration of movement, love, music and fete.
SPECTRUM was divided into three principal sections: Aurora, Super Nova and Jambalaya.
Aurora
Aurora drew inspiration from the celestial colors of the aurora, where different shades merge across the night sky.
EPIC Mas connected that movement to Carnival itself: contrasting colors existing together while masqueraders moved to the rhythm of the road.
The section was offered in several costume styles, including demi-cut bra and bikini, bandeau monokini and bandeau bra-and-bikini options.
Super Nova
Super Nova represented the explosive brilliance of a star.
Its concept centered on a sudden burst of light powerful enough to illuminate everything around it — a fitting image for a Carnival section designed to stand out within an already vibrant parade.
Costume options included a demi bra and bikini, triangle cut-out monokini and strapped monokini, with additional feathered and jeweled upgrades available.
Jambalaya
Jambalaya represented the cultural mixture at the heart of Carnival.
Color, life and different influences were brought together as a visual melting pot, reflecting the diversity of a Carnival taking place in Los Angeles.
The section included high-waist body-suit and jeweled monokini variations, along with optional feathered headpieces and leg pieces.
The Creative Team Behind SPECTRUM
The SPECTRUM costumes were designed by Rhion Romany, with feather work by KDK Designs Ltd / Vindra Kissoon.
The official costume campaign was photographed by Ian Douglas, with makeup by Makeup by Arry, hair by Candiss St. Cyr, and studio production at Silverpin Design Co.
Models for the campaign included Dena-Marie, Sommer, Tamika and Justin.
Together, the creative team gave SPECTRUM a distinct Los Angeles look while keeping the feathers, jewels, bodywear and movement of Caribbean mas at its center.
From the Costume Campaign to Hollywood Boulevard
Months before Carnival, SPECTRUM existed as a polished costume campaign introducing masqueraders to Aurora, Super Nova and Jambalaya.
Julianspromos helped promote the presentation ahead of the road, with EPIC Mas registration information directing supporters to mention “Vivaa” in the referral section when signing up.
By June 25, the studio photographs had become moving mas.
The feathers, jewels and colors that introduced SPECTRUM earlier in the year were now surrounded by Soca, music trucks and hundreds of masqueraders on Hollywood Boulevard.
What It Cost to Play Mas in Hollywood in 2016
The original SPECTRUM campaign also offers a snapshot of the cost of playing mas with EPIC in 2016.
Base costume options for Aurora, Super Nova and Jambalaya were generally priced at $310, while optional feathered and jeweled upgrades ranged from approximately $60 to $250 depending on the section and piece.
EPIC Mas also offered group rates and a 50% deposit option through April 30, 2016.
Those details are now part of the history too — showing not only what the band looked like, but what the Carnival experience actually cost at the time.
Machel Montano and EPIC Mas
Machel Montano remained closely associated with EPIC Mas during the 2016 Hollywood Carnival season, with the band promoted as being hosted by the Soca star.
Music on the road for EPIC Mas came from Private Ryan and Young Chow, surrounding SPECTRUM with a distinctly Caribbean soundtrack as the band moved through Hollywood.
That combination of mas, Soca, international DJs and recognizable Caribbean artists helped connect Hollywood Carnival to the wider Carnival circuit even though the road itself was thousands of miles from Port of Spain, Bridgetown or Kingston.
Three Miles of Carnival Through Hollywood
Hollywood Carnival gave Caribbean mas an unusual backdrop.
Instead of Eastern Parkway, Port of Spain or Miami, masqueraders were moving through one of the entertainment capitals of the world.
Hollywood Boulevard closed for approximately three miles as the parade brought colorful costumes and music including Soca, Reggae, Merengue and other international sounds through Los Angeles.
The road eventually led into the Carnival Culture Village, where the wider Los Angeles Culture Festival continued with food, music and entertainment.
That setting helped give Hollywood Carnival an identity of its own.
EPIC Mas Continues to Grow
EPIC Mas was still a relatively young band in 2016.
Founded in 2014 in support of the Los Angeles Culture Festival, the group grew from an initial section of approximately 80 masqueraders into a complete Carnival band of around 300 participants by 2015.
That growth could be seen from year to year.
In 2014, EPIC was still establishing its place on the Hollywood Carnival road.
In 2015, the band returned with “Concrete Jungle.”
Then came SPECTRUM in 2016 — a more defined presentation with its own concept, creative team and three distinct costume sections.
Three Years on the Road in Los Angeles
EPIC Mas’ growth ran alongside Julianspromos’ own developing relationship with Hollywood Carnival.
Julian and Vivaa first traveled to California for the event in 2014, beginning what became an annual West Coast Carnival trip.
Revisit 2014:
Hollywood Carnival 2014 Highlights
They returned in 2015, when EPIC Mas presented “Concrete Jungle” on Hollywood Boulevard.
Revisit 2015:
Hollywood Carnival 2015: EPIC Mas Brings “Concrete Jungle” to Hollywood Boulevard
By 2016, Hollywood Carnival had become an established part of the Julianspromos Carnival calendar.
SPECTRUM became the third chapter of that Los Angeles story.
Caribbean Carnival on the West Coast
Hollywood Carnival stood apart partly because of where it was happening.
Los Angeles did not have the same long-established Caribbean Carnival identity as New York, Toronto or Miami, giving the event room to develop its own personality.
The Los Angeles Culture Festival positioned the weekend as a celebration of cultures from around the world through costumes, dance, food and music.
Caribbean mas and Soca remained central to the road, but they existed within the larger multicultural landscape of Los Angeles.
That made SPECTRUM an especially fitting presentation.
Aurora brought contrasting colors together. Super Nova celebrated explosive energy. Jambalaya represented cultural mixture.
Different elements, one road.
From the Julianspromos Archives
Julianspromos documented the Hollywood Carnival Parade of the Bands on Saturday, June 25, 2016, following EPIC Mas and its SPECTRUM presentation along Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson hosted the coverage. Julian C. Hackett filmed and edited the footage.
The original 2016 Hollywood Carnival Highlights w. Vivaa video was uploaded to the Julianspromos YouTube channel on July 9, 2016.
The trip represented Julianspromos’ third consecutive year at Hollywood Carnival, continuing a West Coast Carnival story that began in 2014 and developed alongside EPIC Mas.
From the band's early presence in 2014, to Concrete Jungle in 2015, to SPECTRUM in 2016, the three-year run documented the continued growth of Caribbean Carnival on Hollywood Boulevard.
