Miami Carnival is back!
Many are traveling near and far for this year's Carnival after it was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Many were picking up their Carnival costumes at a distribution center in North Miami Beach.
Maylnda Pointdujour says she’s counting the days until Miami Carnival on Sunday.
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“Yes, I’m doing it ... If I have to mask up, it doesn’t matter," Pointdujour said.
The 29-year-old says she celebrates Carnival every year since she was a teenager.
Pointdujour, who is Haitian and Costa Rican, says playing masquerade — or better known as "playing mas," — is a big part of the Carnival culture.
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“A lot of my friends don’t know what playing mas is or what carnival is … it's basically a celebration of everyone’s culture, we're all just having a great time. We're all just having a fun time, no worries, no problems, no issues, and no drama. It's just a great time we all come together as one,” she said.
Pointdujour picked up her Carnival costume from Savage Mas Productions, a local costume designer who began with distributions on Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Natalie Fonrose is putting the finishing touches on costumes that will be distributed Wednesday. She hot glued each feather, sequin, and crystal.
Fonrose is the lead costume designer for One Island Band. She traveled from Trinidad and Tobago for this year’s Carnival in Miami.
“We're here in Miami, we're here to bring our creativity our a euphoria, excitement and pass it on to everybody 'cause we know we've been a true, a very long, difficult lockdown," Fonrose said.
Officials in Trinidad canceled their Carnival for this year, and Fonrose says all those masqueraders are flocking here for Carnival this weekend.
"Because we missed the carnival, we can't possibly miss another carnival, so right now Miami is winning for 100 and that has resulted in them, building up so many traveling masqueraders,” Fonrose said.
Now that Pointdujour officially has her carnival costumes, she’s officially ready for Carnival Sunday.
“It’s just a great time at Carnival, there’s no drama, leave the drama at home," Pointdujor said.
There are 16 different costume designers for this year’s Carnival. Savage Mas Productions says they have seen an increase in costume sales since 2019’s Carnival season.
For more information on Miami Carnival and the events, click here.
