Imagine a block party with 45-foot trailers carrying bands and DJs performing as they roll down the street with crowds of happy people dancing behind them, and many more watching from the side of the road. Doing so will give you an idea of the atmosphere at the Curaçao Carnival.
That’s why everyone in this island country looks forward to the two day event, which consists of the Gran Marcha (The Grand Parade) and Marcha di Despedida (The Farewell March). People on the island being working on the carnival six months in advance, The event itself involves 6,000 participants and 1,500 “helpers“ who either play music or keep the beverages flowing for the 24 groups.
The carnival’s parades snake through the streets of the island’s capital city. The festival swirl is a treat for the senses, starting out with the fragrant delicacies being offered at food stands, to the sound of our local Tumba music filling the air at every corner, and onto the dazzling and colorful costumes worn by local celebrants.
Enhancing the vibrant atmosphere of the parade, each carnival group has at least one party trailer. Massive Production supplied and outfitted audio video and lights for 16 of these trailers. For some, the company went all out turning the vehicles into moving concert stages. Adding a level of bling to these 45-foot “boombox trailers” was a collection of CHAUVET Professional fixtures from Massive Productions’ own inventory.
Supporting the performances of the artists, and engaging the crowd as well as the dancers, was a lightshow created with Rogue R2 Beam, R2 Spot, and R2 Wash fixtures, EPIX Strip IP units, pixel mapped to coordinate with LED screens, and COLORado 1-Tri IP washes.
Given that the festival trailers took roughly six-hours to complete their journeys, the Massive Productions team was careful to outfit them with rigs that could create a variety different look. While the EPIX Strips were used to outline the trailers and give them defining architecture, and the COLORado units created a rainbow of color washes that fit the mood of the moment, the Rogue movers were counted on to add punch to the performances and engage the throngs of onlookers who saw the trailers pass by.
Hung on circular and rectangular truss, the Rogues were used to accent performances on the trailer “stage” and to direct light onto the crowd. In each case they contributed to a concert vibe.
“Over the years the band/DJ trailers have been upgraded to deliver more concert-like looks,” said Jimmy Lo-A-Njoe of Massive Productions. “With truss lights and LED screens, we created more excitement. All our moving head fixtures were Rogues, for the simple reason that they are light, and very powerful.”
Another factor in selecting the Rogue fixtures was their efficiency. “Being on trailers we didn’t have a lot of energy to draw from,” said Lo-A-Njoe.
Energy may have been limited inside the trailers’ generators, but it could be felt everywhere in abundant quantities outside as these vehicles made their way through the Curaçao Carnival. That’s how great memories are made during this festive season.
