Boom Mas Launches “Je Taime Karnival” for New York Carnival 2014
Brooklyn’s Carnival season started taking shape on Friday, June 6, 2014, when Boom Mas unveiled its presentation “Je Taime Karnival – I Love Carnival” at Café Omar in Brooklyn.
The band launch gave masqueraders their first look at Boom Mas’ costumes for Labor Day 2014, with more than 10 sections promoted for the road.
For Julianspromos, Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs hosted the coverage, while Julian C. Hackett shot and edited the event. Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson was also in attendance as Boom Mas introduced its vision for the upcoming New York Carnival season.
Boom Mas presents the official launch of “Je Taime Karnival – I Love Carnival” at Café Omar in Brooklyn on June 6, 2014.
“I Love Carnival”
The name said exactly what Boom Mas wanted to celebrate.
Je Taime Karnival, translated on the branding as “I Love Carnival,” was built around the color, excitement and freedom that draw masqueraders back to Carnival year after year.
The launch imagery showed a vibrant collection of feathered costumes in bright blues, reds, yellows, greens and pinks, giving patrons an early taste of what Boom Mas planned to bring to Brooklyn for Labor Day.
With more than 10 sections to choose from, the launch gave potential masqueraders a chance to see the band’s different looks before deciding how they wanted to play mas.
Café Omar Becomes Carnival Central
The launch took place at Café Omar, 1744 Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn, with doors opening at 8 PM.
For one Friday night, the venue became a showcase for feathers, beads, color and Carnival fashion as models introduced Boom Mas’ 2014 costumes.
Tickets were advertised at $10, making the launch an accessible early-season Carnival lime for people ready to start thinking about Eastern Parkway long before Labor Day arrived.
Boom Mas Brings the Costumes to Life
A band-launch flyer can show the costume design, but seeing the pieces on actual masqueraders brings the presentation to life.
Photos from the event show models wearing several of the colorful Boom Mas designs, from dramatic feathered headpieces to jewel-covered frontline looks.
The costumes ranged from darker red-and-black combinations to bright blues, greens and golds, showing the variety within the Je Taime Karnival presentation.
Models showcase costumes from Boom Mas’ “Je Taime Karnival – I Love Carnival” presentation for New York Carnival 2014.
Chandy Hosts the Launch
Chandy was right in the middle of the action.
With microphone in hand, she helped guide the audience through the launch while also representing Julianspromos at the event.
A photo from the night identifies Chandy as a co-host of the Je Taime Karnival launch, adding another role to her growing presence in New York’s Caribbean entertainment scene during 2014.
Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs during the Boom Mas “Je Taime Karnival” band launch in Brooklyn, June 2014.
For Julianspromos, the event continued the style of coverage that had become increasingly familiar: getting inside the mas camp and band-launch season before the costumes ever reached Eastern Parkway.
Vivaa Joins the Night
Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson was also in attendance for the Boom Mas launch.
Her appearance made the night another crossover moment for the Julianspromos team during a busy 2014 Carnival season, with Chandy handling the hosting duties while Vivaa joined the celebration.
Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson at the Boom Mas “Je Taime Karnival” launch in Brooklyn.
The Return of Boom Up Day
The same night also carried another familiar Boom Mas tradition.
The event was promoted as the return of Boom Up Day, held on the first Friday of the month, with music from DJ Lill Bee, EZSoundz, Soul Injection and Mix Master D.
That gave the launch more than one purpose.
It was a costume reveal, Carnival party and Friday-night lime all rolled into one.
Once the models finished showing the costumes, the music could keep the night moving.
Getting Ready for Labor Day
Band launches are where New York Carnival starts becoming real.
Long before masqueraders reach Eastern Parkway, there are months of planning, designing, choosing sections and building excitement around each band’s presentation.
For Boom Mas, Je Taime Karnival was the invitation.
The launch gave people the first chance to imagine themselves on the road wearing the costumes and becoming part of the presentation.
By June, Labor Day was still months away.
But inside Café Omar, Carnival had already started.
From the Julianspromos Archives
The Boom Mas launch is another snapshot of how deeply Julianspromos was becoming connected to New York Carnival by 2014.
Coverage was no longer limited to the final parade.
Band launches, mas camps, costume reveals, fetes and the personalities behind them were all becoming part of the wider story.
For Je Taime Karnival, Chandy hosted while Julian C. Hackett shot and edited the coverage, and Vivaa was also there for the night.
Today, the original flyers and photographs still capture the excitement surrounding Boom Mas before the band reached the road.
They also preserve a piece of the build-up that makes Carnival more than one day in September.
The costumes may shine brightest on Eastern Parkway, but the story starts months earlier — in places like Café Omar, where masqueraders first see what they might be wearing when Carnival finally arrives.
Event Details
Event: Boom Mas Official Band Launch
Presentation: Je Taime Karnival – I Love Carnival
Date: Friday, June 6, 2014
Venue: Café Omar
Address: 1744 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11226
Doors: 8 PM
Admission: $10
Carnival: New York / Labor Day Carnival 2014
Costume Sections: More than 10 advertised
Music: DJ Lill Bee, EZSoundz, Soul Injection, Mix Master D
Julianspromos Host: Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs
Also in Attendance: Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson
Shot & Edited By: Julian C. Hackett
