Every year, I get a small taste of Carnival around Memorial Weekend. This is the time when Atlanta (or should I say surrounding areas in Georgia) has several events geared towards us island folks who live away. Atlanta Carnival 2018 was not much different from most years. Here’s how it went down……
Year: 2018
Place: Georgia (Lithonia, Snellville)
How I Spent Atlanta Carnival 2018
Children’s Parade @ Salem Park
The parade over by Salem Park does not have as long a stretch as the main parade, so by the time we got there, there were only 2 troupes left on the road. This was okay because once we got inside the park itself, each troupe had a chance to showcase their costumes in the center of the field. My daughter got to see several troupes ‘perform’, before she was ready to go on the playground.
I was able to take a few pictures before some rude, grown island people just walked in front of me and my daughter, like we weren’t standing there. I forgot there are island people with no home training. Check out the video or FB album below for highlights from the parade.
Main Parade @ Stonecrest
This year, the parade we went to was Atlanta Dekalb Caribbean Carnival. There is a distinction because there is also another parade usually held somewhere in downtown Atlanta. I don’t know the history of the split, but for the last couple of years there have been two separate parades on the same day dividing the crowds.
I usually go to the one on East Atlanta since it is closer to home versus driving into Atlanta to fight traffic or riding the train. This year’s parade moved from Covington Highway to Stonecrest Mall, so I still ended up in traffic. In addition to the regular mall traffic, there was a plethora of Caribbean people on the road who do not know how to follow the rules of the road.
When we were finally able to get there and park, we had to walk up to the street to find a shaded spot. Luckily, we didn’t have to walk too far.
VI Picnic @ Lenora Park
Last, but not least, we went to the annual Virgin Islands Picnic held in Snellville at Lenora Park.
Talk about people. The park was packed with Virgin Islands and other Caribbean people. We picked our spot, setup our chairs and mini tent, and listened on to the caribbean music and chatter. It was good to be in a place where everybody talked like you and understood what you were saying without having to change up your accent or be on repeat.
There was island food, island music, island drinks, and loads of island people. Aside from a few rude commentators, we had a good time just hanging out in the park. My aunt who was visiting from home, said she felt like she were home because everywhere she looked she saw a familiar face.
Yep, that’s that feeling I get to have at least once every year. It has become somewhat of a tradition for us to go every year with family and friends. We will be back to these events next year, hopefully. That is, until we pick another Carnival destination for Memorial Weekend. I hear Orlando has their Carnival at this same time of, h the year. Hmmmmm………
Where do you get to spend Carnival each year? Let me know in the comments, when and where your Caribbean festivities are held. Maybe one day, I can get to say I visited them all.