Every year the Cayman Islands holds a big Carnival in May called Batabano. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make this post because I may have had a little too much to drink on an empty stomach when I did that parade so you can guess how the end was… In any case, I decided I should still share my personal experience of the celebration with you.
May 2017 was my first year of actually participating even though I have lived here for about 15 years and had watched the parade many times. I burn easy, and most male costumes are shirtless with a few accessories, so I opted for another “Band” (each truck is sponsored by a group, and they call these groups bands) called The Pirate Takeover. This band, sponsored by the Pirate’s Week Festival team (another great festival), was cheaper than the others at only $25 CI (equivalent to around $30 US) and included unlimited drinks and a t-shirt. You didn’t have to wear the shirt provided though, some people in the band had decided to wear previous year’s costumes (those things can run upward of $200CI or over $240US so I would too).
One thing you can count on in Cayman is nothing seems to start on time (I guess that’s why they call it Island time). Some bands did leave “on time” and were so far ahead it was as if they were in their own parade. Thankfully, The Pirate Takeover was not one of these bands.
After the first float left you could still see some bands getting ready and putting on their last-minute accessories (they can be heavy and hot, so it is best to wait until the last minute anyway.) So we were off on our way at a snail’s pace dancing and drinking and having a great time. The trucks normally move up a little and then stop so everyone can dance for the crowds that line the Seven Mile Beach road. Batabano is a big event, and everyone comes out to watch the bands go down the road.
I decided to get some video of some of the other bands and see where some of my friends were. Heading up the road, you could see the difference between the bands. Each band plays their own music and tend to try and organise everyone to dance the same as they head to town. Now near the end, you can tell the alcohol was taking its toll on people, and the dancing becomes much less choreographed (not to say it was, to begin with, but you get the idea.)
The next day I woke up to realize that I did not remember the ending of the parade and had lost my friend and camera along the way. Thankfully I found out at some point we had put my camera in his bag.
If you are planning to take part in the parade one word of advice is to be careful with your alcohol consumption, so you don’t make the same mistake I did. I used to drink more than I do now and do not have the tolerance that I used to, and I honestly forgot that this time. Cayman style mixed drinks are pretty much all alcohol with a dab of soda for colour, so for every alcoholic beverage you have, drink a minimum two bottles of water. Remember it is hot and humid here in the summer and you can get easily dehydrated so make sure you consistently drink water.
I will be going again this year, but this time I will make sure to do the opposite of what I did last year and watch my alcohol intake and drink much more water. It was fun, and I have to say was a great experience. The photos and video above should be able to give you an idea of what you could experience, but you will never get the full experience until you attend it.
If you are interested in participating or attending head over to caymancarnival.com for more information.