‘No mask, no mas’: Miami Carnival returns with joy, music — and new COVID-19 rules

Miami Carnival is many things to South Florida’s Caribbean community. A gathering of friends and family. A celebration of culture. A chance to revel as part of a vibrant community.

And in 2021, it’s also a test.

Canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, Miami Carnival and its four signature events return Oct. 8-10 as the first Carnival in North America since the pandemic began. With that fact comes the responsibility of figuring out how to put on a safe event so others can follow the blueprint.

“We can serve as a model for the rest of the Carnivals,” said Joan Hinkson-Justin, chair of the Miami-Broward One Carnival Host Committee, which produces the event. “Sales show we have people coming from all over. We want to be sure we do everything right, and that when it’s over 100 percent of the attendees are healthy and safe.”

This means making changes to the annual event, which opens Friday with the steelpan competition, celebrates J’ouvert with paint and powder on Saturday and concludes Sunday with the famous parade of bands and a soca concert. For example, the entire weekend will be held in one location, Miami-Dade County Fairgrounds, instead of Miami and Broward (ride-sharing is available).

Health and safety protocols were modeled after Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. And the event’s 2021 motto — “no mask, no mas” — says it all: If you want to go to Carnival, you need to wear a mask.

All participants and visitors at the event also must show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken no earlier than Oct. 6. Each event will include temperature screenings, and more than 200 volunteers and staff have been dispatched to the COVID team, with extra workers hired for cleaning the food court and restrooms.

And this year, even the costumes are affected: Creators were required to include masks as part of the costumes, one of the most important elements of the event, said Nigel G. Alfred, president of the South Florida Carnival Band Leaders Association.

“Revealing those final costumes to the masses is very exciting,” he said, adding that designing masks along with the costumes was meant “to make it appealing and encourage people to wear their masks.”

Alfred said that this year’s costumes will show a fusion of traditional designs and sexy showpieces, with impressive and creative feather work. He sees a younger generation that loves the “skimpy” outfits appreciating a return to the past.

Celebrating Caribbean culture in person again is vital to the community, he said.

“There were definitely depressed souls last year,” he said. “You know how Thanksgiving is to Americans? That’s what Carnival is to us. Put it on your bucket list, and come see.”

Miami Carnival

When: Oct. 8-10

Where: Miami-Dade County Fairgrounds, 10901 SW 24th St., Miami

Tickets: Start at $30; available at miamicarnival.org

This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "‘No mask, no mas’: Miami Carnival returns with joy, music — and new COVID-19 rules."