Grand Kadooment (a.k.a. Kadooment Day)
2008
"Kadooment Day" is the very last event of the entire "Crop-Over-Festival". With a long parade of music bands which are followed up by the so called "revelers" and dance like crazy and doing other foolishnes, the festival finalizes each year on the 1st Monday of August. This event is similar to carneval in other countries.
It is a show of costumes, music, dance and good mood. Just having a good time and PARTY!!! But this year it was also a matter of enhanced security, since there were some incidents last year, which were supposed to be avoided this season. However, this year absolutely nothing bad was happening throughout the whole festival. It was just one happy and good PARTY! Congratulations to the organizers! Well done!
Rosemary and Colleen in full gear, as I dropped them off at the starting point at 7:30 am.
The assembly area next to the National Stadium.
Some used every bit of shade available just not to heat up before schedule. There were another 1 1/2 hours to wait for the start.
The spectators were already waiting impatiently.
Then the 'go' with the march into the National Stadium...
In front of the grand stand and a jury, each band had to perform at it's best. The judges had to rule about the costumes, dancing and the music.
After the 'offical' part was done in the stadium the crowds hit the road and went off for the about 5 km long route...
... with costumes in all imaginable colours of this world, and ALL clothes sizes... ;-)
But before the crowd really started off, it was already over for this one here! May be he had one Rum too many the night before...
These guys were a bit off track costumewise. May be they were freezing because there were "only" 31°C in the shade.
Then finally the first sight of some familiar faces. About 200 yards after they hit the route everything was cool and fresh.
Please note: Colleen is to be recognized later on upcoming photos by her white feather headdress and also white sun glasses and the "blond woman" at her side.
After I had lost sight of the two "girls" at point #(1) of the route (see map for route details), I made my way to point #(2), which was at about half way of the entire course.
Because I was walking faster and also the shortest, direct way, I had some time left for a "breakfast" at Ronny's Bar. There I met Yvette, of course!
Here
are the two different routes which Colleen and I were "wuckin"/walking.
Colleen's route is the dark blue one on the map, a.k.a. "Route
1", and I walked along the green lines.
The parade started at the "National Stadium" at 9:00 am
(upper right corner on the map). There I dropped off Colleen and Rosemary
at 7:30 am, and then I parked the car somewhere in between "Start"
and "End" (see map: "Our car").
Then I went back ON FOOT to the stadium (VERY unusual for ME! 
),
while Colleen was enjoying a magnificant breakfast... Champagne included
and the whole shebang of fresh fruits and all that!!! 
!
At about 9:40 I got first sight and photos of her on the route at
point #(1) (see map). Which means, she was in the third band on the
road, even though their number was #13. Sometimes 'the early bird
catches the worm', even in Barbados! That has payed off big times
later on, because they had finished their course at lunch time, BEFORE
the BIG HEAT arose!
Then I made my way to point #(2). Because I was walking as well, but
choosing the straight and shortest way, I had some time left for a "breakfast"
at Ronny's bar. However, I only could afford one "Banks beer"
contrary to what Colleen was able to enjoy... And then again, having arrived
at my next photo station, I still had to wait for more than half an hour...
.
The first band arriving at photo point #2. Obviously, the vast majority were "touris", no shirts, pale and no sunblocker. They are walking into the biggest "sun experience" of their lives... But also have a look at the trailer of the truck. Full power speaker up front ...
... and in the back! A multi-kilo-watt generator on board (not visible here) and the music is blasting, so that everything around is vibrating. I could feel the power in my chest, stomach and ear drums... Just MAD! But some people couldn't get enough of it and were walking right behind the speakers. They were probably already deaf from the discos the use to go to at home.
Something is definitely wrong here.
1. If you don't want to "jump" and exhaust yourself, don't go to Kadooment at all! (red).
2. If you do join it, walk behind the right truck! (blue).
3. If you do "jump" make sure you know the proper direction! AND IF YOU DON'T go where all the others go!
Some bands were well organized, and Colleen's bandin particular! GREAT KUDOS FROM MY SIDE! This was very amazing, since we are talking Barbados! They even had their own toilets on the road! EXEMPLARY! More about that later...
This band literally took it to the top...
... but they had to watch out, because all wiring for power (!) and telephone is run above ground! TAKE CARE!
A beautiful costume and as I said, ALL clothes sizes were on the road...
"WUCKIN-UP " is Bajan dialect and means "Walking-Up". And that's what it says. You bump into each other. But don't forget the erotical or even sexual part of it. Hey, we are talking Caribbean here...
After all that "WUCKIN-UP" people get hot at some point in time and therefore they had put up some stations to cool down.
EXEMPLARY, AGAIN!
Colleen's band even had an ambulance in their convoi. I haven't seen that in any other band! And as it had tourned out later on, three people really needed the paramedic services. The heat today just demanded it's toll. Amazingly, they were all locals who could not deal with the heat.
This is the backside of the toilette trailer of Colleen's band. I haven't been inside, so I cannot describe it. Just as much as this: They were no Dixie's and Colleen used it and did not complain! So, they couldn't have been bad.
Here you can see the truck of Colleen's band turning into the lunch place. Lunch was prepared in a big tent and they had plenty of food and the quality was just great.
I just want to remind of the security measures. All the yellow shirts on the photo are security guards, look how many, and all of them had to be paid by the organiser of the band!
Allison Hinds was the singer, who heated up the crowd. Even at a longer stop on the road.
Queuing for lunch. Colleen at the very end...
Funny, the "jobnames" of the staff on the back of their t-shirts, see the pale blue one here and others on the next three photos...
They also had trailer where the people could have a rest...
Rosemary (the "blond woman" left), Alison Hinds (centre) and Colleen.
A beautiful costume. Hhmm, not just the costume is beautiful...
These ones had their own mobile shower!
I, for my part, just put some ice cubes under my cap. That to be sufficient...
On my way to the car I saw this private party. The just have put a tent across the road and did their own Kadooment.
This guy was very unusual. He was collecting PET-bottles, but you should have seen the speed. He was faster than me and I did NOT collect bottles. I never saw a Bajan moving this quick! Look at his trolley and the huge and full bags. Each bottle 10 cents! And he probably had another two tours after that, I would bet...
At the end of the parade was the so called "Bridgetown Market". That's where Colleen and Debbie have been two days ago. One stall next to the other, but all of them selling the same stuff. Cheap plastic toys from China. Nothing local, that was just sad.
End of story...
