07/06/2026
The colours. The music. The costumes. The movement. The road. That’s what we think of when it’s Carnival time.
“I jumped for the first time in Carnival this year,” Kris writes in her personal essay, reflecting on the timing of One Carnival, the first year Cayman’s two major Carnival celebrations, Batabano and CayMAS, came together as one unified parade.
She traces Carnival beyond the road and into its wider Caribbean context, looking at how masquerade, music, movement, and public celebration have been tied to memory and expression across the region.
Part of that history reaches back to emancipation and the ways formerly enslaved people used celebration, costume, dance, satire, and sound to reclaim public space after generations of restriction. Reid also reflects on the assumptions many people have about Carnival, noting that she discovered it was “more than the ‘bare skin and whinin’ up’” it is often reduced to these days.
Photos from Kris’ visit to the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) and Cayman Carnival 2026.
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Like most conversations around culture, Carnival will continue to hold varied points of view.
Some may wonder what value these traditions have if they no longer reflect the core values people believe they once carried. Others may argue that culture is not only inherited, but also interpreted, and that each generation has a role in shaping what it means to them.
These conversations matter most when they make us look closer. Kris’ reflection offers one personal entry point into that wider conversation.
A special thanks to Kris for sharing her insights and personal experiences with the Cayman Style community.
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