Going down our list of anticipated Caribana events, next up on my Caribana 2022 event line-up, is Jab Jab J'ouvert.
If you recall in my blog post here about J'ouvert in June, there are two (2) highly anticipated J'ouvert parties that happen in the summer time/Carnival week. The first is J'ouvert in June, and the second is Jab Jab J'ouvert.
↠↠ (If you're unfamiliar with 'J'ouvert,' and want to learn a little more about what it is, and the history behind this Carnival celebration, I also expanded more on the history and cultural significance in my J'ouvert in June post (link in the paragraph above) - in the section entitled J'ouvert and Carnival - A quick history lesson and its cultural significance.)
Jab Jab J'ouvert is arguably one of the bigger J'ouvert fetes during Caribana week.
It typically promotes 12 straight hours of non-stop J'ouvert, from about 3pm-4pm to 3am-4 am, with powder, water, the works.
Also being Jab Jab inspired, this event also allows for patrons to experience some of the elements of not only Trinidad & Tobago's J'ouvert, but so too Grenada's, as Jab Jab is a significant part of Grenada's culture.
Unfortunately this year, less than 24 hours before Jab Jab J'ouvert was supposed to take place, the promoters announced that the event was being combined with another Caribana event happening that day, 'Vibes with Voicey' and renamed it to '1 J'ouvert.'
The promoters explained that it was due to the fact that they were receiving some push back from city officials in the area the event was originally supposed to held, and ultimately were no longer able to host the event in its originally announced location.
As a result, the event was then pushed to a completely new venue, paired with a new time, (no more 12 straight hours of J'ouvert.) This understandably caused some uproar from potential attendees since the changes meant many would no longer be able to attend.
Luckily for myself and the group I went with, we were able to alter our plans to still attend, and I'll go into the whole event, from getting tickets to the overall experience, and some quick J'ouvert party tips below.
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Jab Jab J'ouvert + Vibes with Voicey = 1 J'ouvert: Last minute change
I noticed this year, that a lot of Carnival event promoters had been receiving quite some push back from city officials in various locations on holding Carnival-influenced events.
Unfortunately, it sometimes can be a bit of a struggle in Toronto to celebrate our Caribbean culture, and this stems from various reasons (some say due to 'concerns over ongoing crime in the city.')
Ultimately I do believe a large factor in this struggle, is because there are still elements of our Caribbean culture that are just not understood, and it's common knowledge that many fear what they don't understand.
I could go into a whole ten page discussion around the topic, but I'll cut it short for the purpose of this post. From what the promoters explained, the event's location was ultimately changed due to push back from persons higher up.
All the changes to the event were announced a bit at the last minute, only being announced on Thursday afternoon, barely 24 hours before the event was originally supposed to start.
It was announced on Instagram, that in order to not postpone or cancel the event entirely, and still bring persons some form of a J'ouvert event for the Caribana week, they would be merging their event with another - "Vibes with Voicey," and turning it into one big event, renamed as "1 J'ouvert."
Vibes with Voicey was another event happening on the same night in a different location, hosted by Trinidad and Tobago's very own Soca trailblazer, Voice the Artiste.
Now of course, these changes were met with a lot of anger, frustration and confusion around their last minute nature. People would be flying into the city at all different times to make it to events like this, and with the original event being intended to finish at about 3am, it would've give more people a chance to attend.
However, the promoters explained that some of the push back was around having outdoor events past 11pm, and the new event was promoted to run from 3pm - midnight instead, which meant a lot of people would no longer be able to attend.
In addition to the time change, there was also a venue change. The original event was being held in Vaughan, however since merging with the Vibes with Voicey event, it was then moved to Markham.
The event's Instagram page's comments section was flooded with people asking for refunds. People were understandably upset, and it was a pretty unfortunate situation, but it seemed to be completely out of the hands of the promoters, since city officials have the last word.
The promoters did try to still give us a J'ouvert event, and though the theme of the Jab Jab J'ouvert was a bit lost, the spirit still remained, pushed by those still able to attend.
Jab Jab J'ouvert: Getting the tickets
As far as ticket prices go for this event, prices drop in different waves, as many events tend to be in Toronto, and especially around Caribana time.
Depending on your preference of ticket, there are both online and physical ticket options for this fete.
Physical tickets can be better when you think of the bonus of avoiding additional tax and online service fees, but the digital ticket option also carries its perks of being readily accessible in your inbox, so you don't have to worry about forgetting your ticket back home.
The first drop of tickets started going for $60.00CAD (+ HST), and were available through online retailers such as ticketgateway.com. They also announced the in-person retailers where physical tickets could be bought on their Instagram page.
As time went on, ticket prices continued to increase, but I believe the most they were going for by the week of the event itself (through authorized sellers) was $80.00CAD + HST.
As with many highly anticipated parties, you want to ensure you're purchasing your ticket from an authorized vendor. Sometimes re-sellers may be selling the ticket for a similar, or a slightly increased price, but be mindful of the persons overcharging you an arm and a leg for a ticket. Also always make sure that your money is being spent on actual, valid tickets.
When compared to how much we may pay for a J'ouvert fete back home, the prices do relatively match up.
One thing I should note as well to be mindful of, is that you may find more than one instagram page promoting an event labelled as 'Jab Jab J'ouvert.'
The one which I'm discussing in this post, the handle is @jabjabjouvert. The page as of today looks like this:
Tickets can also be bought on their official website here.
Where is Jab Jab J'ouvert held?
As I discussed in my J'ouvert in June post, a lot of these larger, Caribbean influenced events tend to be held outside of the city of Toronto itself, typically more in areas of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Prior to the changes, the event was originally going to be held in Vaughan. For those not as familiar with the GTA, the city of Vaughan is north of Toronto.
However, the newly merged event wasmoved to Markham Fairgrounds. The area of Markham is to the North-East-ish of Toronto. Here's a map for a better visual, of the old, and new event location.
Both of these locations can be quite the commuting distance depending on where you're coming from if you live more in the Toronto area.
If the TTC is your main means of transport, since the events are held essentially outside of the Toronto core, the TTC only services certain areas in the GTA, before you would have to switch to one of the other cities' main commute service lines. This can range from the MiWay in Mississauga, to Zum in Brampton, the Viva in Vaughan and more.
To avoid the commute hassle, an Uber may just be easier in terms of getting there (since you won't be covered in power just yet.) However if you do go with getting an Uber, or a Lyft, be mindful that around Caribana week, there are numerous events happening within the city that are not just Caribana-related.
This year, there was also the Young Money Concert happening around that time, a Chris Brown concert happening on the same day, and with it being your typically Friday in Toronto, people are out and about in vast numbers.
As a result, there are higher chances of you being charged surcharge fees (which happens when Ubers are in high demand) which can almost double the usual fare you would expect to pay, and can also lead to much longer wait times as well.
If you're coming from an area in the downtown core, an Uber to the location of the event in Markham, before the possible surcharge, tax, and any other additional fare Uber tends to charge, could start from about $60.00CAD.
Jab Jab J'ouvert (1 J'ouvert): The experience
In terms of my experience with this event, mine started from the moment I went to meet my friends at the hotel they were staying at.
Some people were pregaming, and everyone was excited to get to the event itself, which we took an Uber to get to.
After some positive comments on our great vibe and energy from our Uber driver, upon arriving we got into the line, showed our ID (since these events are 19+,Ontario's legal age) had our tickets scanned, and made our way into the event itself.
The original event space was meant to be on grass, however this new location was in an area filled with gravel, so with me wearing my crocs, it was a bit annoying from time to time, having to shake gravel out my shoes every 20 minutes.
Another thing I should note here, is that in these J'ouvert fetes I've been to up here (as in, North America) you have to pay for paint and/or powder.
I don't recall ever having to pay for paint or powder in a J'ouvert fete back home (since the ticket price depending on the event, or even for J'ouvert itself covers bottles of paint and powder) but the fun thing about these types of events is that if you go into the crowd enough, you're guaranteed to get every colour of the rainbow thrown on you, by other people who did in fact splurge on the powder and paint.
If I recall correctly, a bag of powder at the event cost $9.00CAD.
By the time we got there it was minutes to 9pm, so the sky had only just started getting dark, as is custom with the long summer days in Toronto.
The music was really good, lots of Soca (because duh, it’s a carnival event) especially Grenadian soca and plenty energy from the crowd.
There were a number of guest artistes still scheduled to appear from the original event’s promotion, but about another hour in, we were graced with a performance from Voice the Artiste himself.
Being that the Jab Jab event merged with his prior scheduled Vibes with Voicey concert, he arguably had the biggest and longest set for the night.
It was all so fun to witness. Where we were stationed wasn’t even in the centre of the crowd, and Voice had us all in the middle and the back of the event space jumping around as he opened up with this biggest hit of 2022, Out and Bad. Hearing that being performed live for the first time gave me chills.
You also know it was a good fete when you see people picking up items arguably much larger than themselves, as they’re consumed by the energy and soul of the Soca music.
There was a bar in the venue as well. I didn’t take too hard a look at the prices (since drinks at the fetes themselves tend to border more on the expensive side, but I do remember paying about $9.00CAD for a Smirnoff drink.)
Overall, the crowd’s energy was amazing with everyone enjoying themselves, and vey few people just standing up and looking into the crowd. Great music and great energy, despite all the bumps it took to get there. The event seemed to have been pretty successful at the end of the day.
If you’re looking to enhance your Toronto Canrival experience, wanting to take part in events similarly as one would do back in the islands, and really get that feel of the Carnival celebration and festivities, then this is an event I would recommend attending.
Here’s to hoping the event promoters get less push back from city officials next year, and are able to put on another Jab Jab J’ouvert event the way they intended it to be this year, to continue in the celebration and promotion of the different elements of Caribbean Culture and identity here in Toronto.
It’s already such an amazing thing to be able to move across the globe, in a country where you weren’t born, or grew up in (as Caribbean people) but can still celebrate your culture in more ways than one up here. That truly is a blessing we shouldn’t overlook.
And before I close off, always remember that all these events are fun to attend yes, but never forget in the back of your mind the true meaning, and reasonings behind why we celebrate our Caribbean Culture in the ways we do.
Quick J'ouvert party tips:
If you've never attended a J'ouvert party before, I just wanted to provide some quick tips to help enhance your overall experience!
↠↠ Wear clothes you don't care to get dirty. J'ouvert fêtes use variations of paint and powder, and the powder especially is almost impossible to get off your clothes. You may end up discarding your outfit to a J'ouvert party, so save yourself the heartbreak of wearing something you would plan to wear again.
↠↠ Playing mas/Caribana? You may want to cover up your head to avoid the powder or paint staining those freshly done braids, since this event typically happens the night before into the morning of Caribana. A shower cap and a bonnet on top it my usual go-to.
↠↠ Ubering home? Pack some wet wipes (or if possible a change in bottoms) to get as much of the paint and/or powder off to avoid dirtying the car, or having your Uber ride cancelled.
↠↠ Powder stains your skin. A good extra scrubs in the shower can help, paired with an exfoliating scrub and baby oil. If you want to avoid having blue powder-stained-boobs like I did for example, or to minimize how much of your body is stained by the powder, wear solid clothing vs. Mesh/fishnets.
↠↠ Have fun, let loose, and get lost in the Soca!
THINGS TO NOTE:
🥳 Price/entry fee: $60-$100 (Depending on where and when you purchase the ticket. Price could be higher)
🥳 Time of year: Late July/early August (usually the night before into the morning of Caribana)
🥳 Average amount of time excepted to spend here: 3+ hours
🥳 Location: Varies each year. This year the final event happened at Markham Fairgrounds, but the promoters announce the location via their Instagram page.