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Do you ever feel like you’re constantly running around, trying to get your marketing materials put together and out the door? Are you frazzled by the marketing process, and driving your writer, designer, or printer absolutely nuts? Is your “plan” to just pick one new idea every now and then to implement? Or are you constantly hopping on the latest marketing idea, and throwing away your time and money with your efforts?

You’re not alone; most small businesses have the same approach to marketing. The result is marketing that’s not cohesive; it’s marketing using the “push-and-pray” method – you just create marketing pieces here and there, and then hope for new clients and sales to come rushing in. When you’re busy, you just forget or put off your marketing entirely; then, when you finish all of your client projects, you panic, push out some new marketing materials, and hope for the best.

The answer to push-and-pray marketing is to plan your marketing in advance: to sit down and create a Marketing Machine so that your marketing runs smoothly and effortlessly all year long. Creating a year-round plan for marketing can really improve the number of sales that you’ll be able to make, and keep a steady stream of clients and income coming in. There are several things to consider when creating your Marketing Machine:

Consistency and repetition are two of the most important things to planning your marketing. Experts say that you have to make 6 to 12 “first” impressions on a potential client before you’ll be remembered. So make sure to set up your Marketing Machine to include many marketing pieces per year, evenly distributed throughout the year (see “Timing,” below) and presented in many different ways (see “Format,” below).

You should also make sure to have consistent and repetitive copy and design elements throughout your materials. Using some of the same text selling points across all of your marketing materials helps increase memorability. And making sure the look-and-feel of your materials is also consistent, with a well-designed and well-established Visual Vocabulary, will make the pieces of your Marketing Machine look like a well-planned, professional, and unified set, instead of a disjointed mess, just slapped together.

Format is the way that you’re delivering your marketing materials. Marketing can be presented in many formats:

o Printed materials, like stationery, brochures, postcards, and datasheets

o Online materials, like your website

o Digital materials, like Word templates, email signatures, and PDF files

o Written materials, like articles and press release

o Meeting and presentation materials, like PowerPoint presentations, presentation folders, proposal covers, and leave-behind materials like brochures or other marketing pieces.

o Follow-up materials, like eZines or online newsletters, offline newsletters, sales letters, and thank-you cards

It’s important to match the media that you’re marketing in to your target audience to get great results from your Marketing Machine. For example, if your audience is highly technical, marketing online is probably a good idea. But if you’re selling to people who rarely use computers, printed media would be a better direction to take.

Timing includes making sure that you market consistently throughout the year. But there are some other factors to consider when setting up your Marketing Machine.

Make sure that you set up your Marketing Machine so that you have plenty of time to create your materials and promotions. Consider working materials in “off times” for your business, such as the holiday season, or on slow days. Working on marketing when you’re not busy with other projects will allow you to make the best possible use of your time and to devote enough attention to each of your marketing efforts.

If you partner with vendors, such as designers, printers, copywriters, or others to create your marketing materials, make sure that they have enough time to do a good-quality job as well. Ask what their lead times are, and be sensitive to their busy times as well.

Another technique to cut down on time spent working on your Marketing Machine is to batch similar projects together; for example, writing several articles at once and then setting up those pages on your website so that they’re ready to send when it’s time to release them. Some newsletter services, such as Email Brain (www.emailbrain.com) even allow you to set up your newsletters to send at a scheduled time in the future-even months down the road, which automates your Marketing Machine even further.

Budget approximately 10% of your gross profit for marketing use, say the experts. Be sure that you include all aspects of creating your marketing materials, including:

o Design work

o Copywriting and copyediting

o Printing

o Mailing

o Placement fees for advertising

o Public relations

o HTML newsletter service fees

o Website hosting and domain name fees

o Website maintenance and updates

o Search engine optimization

o Trade show fees

o Referral and affiliate fees

Some businesses also include networking fees, like meeting costs and membership dues, in their marketing budgets.

Batching several projects together not only helps with timing but also with staying within your marketing budget. For example, if you plan to send several postcards in a year, you can often save money by designing and printing them together. You can also save printing set-up fees by printing all of your materials for a year at once: that way, the printer only has to do the set-up work once. You might be able to get a discount on your web hosting or HTML newsletter fees by pre-paying an entire year at once.

And make sure to set a bit of your budget aside for unexpected marketing efforts: for that press release you’ll have to send when you win an award, or for advertising in the perfect new publication for your target market.

Evaluation of Success means asking your new leads how they found you, and tracking the resulting sales and conversion rates. Make sure that each of the components of your Marketing Machine is working for you and producing results. But be sure that you give those components a bit of time to begin working: it often takes a bit of consistent repetition in marketing to see some results.

Flexibility is important as well. If you begin a new type of marketing and you find that it isn’t working after a few months, you should be flexible in your plans for your Marketing Machine. Reevaluate whether the marketing tactic just needs a bit more time or if you should revise or replace it with some other type of marketing piece.

Maintaining the Machine involves reevaluating your Marketing Machine plans at least quarterly to make sure that they are in alignment with your business’s progress and goals for the year. See if you need to add any marketing tactics or revise your plans to fit with your business’s path.

If you create a Marketing Machine that addresses all of the topics above, you should be on your way to marketing your business in a successful, well-thought-out, and manageable way. And if you implement your Marketing Machine in a consistent and repetitive way throughout the year, you should have less stress and more sales in the coming year.

Erin Ferree is a brand identity and marketing design strategist who creates big visibility for small businesses. Through her customized marketing and brand identity packages, Erin helps her clients discover their brand differentiators, then designs logos, business cards, and other marketing materials and websites to reflect that differentiation, as well as to increase credibility and memorability. http://www.elf-design.com

The role of the automotive advertising agency has changed to follow the new rules of the road on the Internet Super Highway. Newly empowered consumers are no longer limited to shopping for a vehicle using information provided by self serving auto dealers pushing information to them using conventional media like radio, T.V. or newspaper. Social media has allowed car shoppers to gather information from like minded customers before, during and after their shopping and/or buying experience. These online friends are playing an increasing role in the car shopping process and automotive advertising agencies are using them to influence buyers.

The new pull / push nature of the market powered by the Internet requires automotive advertising agencies to focus on people vs. product or price. Car shoppers are following their own agendas when pulling information from the world wide web that no longer requires them to rely on an auto dealer as the source. Today’s online shoppers prioritize people when selecting a dealership they are willing to do business with. That is not to suggest that product and price aren’t important. It simply suggests that all systems start and end with people and that people are the true asset of any auto dealer, automotive advertising agency or vendor!

The most obvious evidence of the priority that people play in the auto shopping/buying/service.experience is the explosive growth that social media has enjoyed as a marketing media vs. conventional radio, T.V. and print that used to dominate the automotive advertising landscape. Automotive advertising agencies recognize that people have always preferred to do business with people that they like and social networking has expanded the spheres of influence of car shoppers/buyers to include their online friends.

The market is a conversation amongst friends before, during and after the car shopping/buying/ service cycle. Auto dealers that have friends in the social networking communities are more likely to be invited to participate in the dialogue. More specifically, automotive advertising agencies realize that it is difficult to befriend a building or a website! It is the people that work at the dealership to support their families that have the story to tell to their friends and who will earn the sale — not the Chevrolet, Toyota, Mercedes, etc. — or the extended service hours and weekly specials. Saturday service hours have no appeal if the customers don’t like or trust the people that they are handing their keys to. Having a friend in the car business is a relief that trumps the best process, product or price for the average car buyer.

Automotive advertising agencies also recognize that people play a role in both the real and virtual world showroom experience which will be reflected in the number of units sold and their job performance at the end of the month. First impressions are irretrievable and they are not limited to a large inventory, clean showroom or a dealer centric selling system that processes customers in sales and/or service. The atmosphere in a well run dealership reflects the morale of the staff in sales and service which directly impacts the customers that an automotive advertising agency drives to the dealership.

A smiling sales person, service writer, operator and cashier can’t be forced as a part of policy — much like customer satisfaction can’t be bought or taken for granted by simply offering the best price; it must be earned. It is earned when a dealer or manager appreciates the individual and team contributions of his staff — and tells them so on a regular basis! It is maintained by HR departments and hiring practices that select personality over prior auto sales experience with compensation plans that reflect individual contributions along with job descriptions and defined areas of responsibility that are managed and monitored by a caring management team.

Employee retention is directly linked to customer satisfaction and customer retention and neither can be taken for granted. Automotive advertising agencies are counseling their auto dealer clients to invest in their people before, during and after they are hired to compliment their investments in automotive advertising. It is their people that will represent their dealership and it is their people who will sell their cars and service to a growing list of friends and customers.

Automotive advertising agencies have extended their areas of responsibility to include their involvement in all aspects of day to day operations at an auto dealership. Most selling systems and related processes include a meeting and greeting, an initial manager T.O. to qualify the customer’s needs, an inventory and facility walk, a test drive, a feature benefit presentation, a desking procedure, a manager T.O., negotiations, an F&I introduction, a delivery procedure and service introduction. All of these steps are then supported by a state of the art CRM/ILM, DMS and follow up system. Unfortunately, all of these well thought out procedures are only as good as the sales person who entered the customer into the system and/or who is expected to follow up if not sold or who is relied on to solicit future service and referrals.

All of these actions reflect on the job performance of the automotive advertising agency and they must be addressed as part of their areas of responsibility. Automotive advertising agencies recognize that sales training is all too often limited to a few weeks immediately after the hire and/or some outsourced trainer hired to pump up the staff. Given the complexity of a well planned selling system — as described above — how can a new hire be expected to retain everything that they need to know? Add product information and an understanding of how human nature impacts the negotiation process and — once again — the investment in the people becomes self evident.

There is a paradigm shift taking place in the way that sales and service training should be applied at a dealership and it is up to the automotive advertising agency to insure that it is understood and applied. Forward thinking automotive advertising agencies have discovered that sales and service training can’t be limited to the new hires and or as needed to motivate the staff. It must start in the hiring process by selecting trainable personalities and then integrated into the selling system in such a way that the processes teach the sales person as much as the customer. Buyers and sellers must form a habit to listen and learn from each other before they can presume to sell or buy anything. A sales person does not need to know everything — they simply need to know where to find the answers that are relevant to the customer to move them through their buying decision.

Automotive advertising agencies often rely on new technologies to provide efficiencies applied to proven old world wisdom. New mobile sales applications are being developed that promise to provide a salesperson with the right information at the right place and the right time which will integrate training into the sales process. The key is to focus on the people part of the presentation supported by the processes, products and the price rather than the other way around.

Philip Zelinger is a former auto dealer principal with an earned reputation as a nationally recognized automotive advertising expert specializing in the technology sector. His philosophy that a rising tide floats all boats motivates him to listen and learn so he can presume to teach. To that end, Philip shares best practices on the respected automotive advertising resource networking portal — http://AdAgencyOnline.Net — as well as the blog talk radio station featured on the site — WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time — http://blogtalkradio.com/adagencyonline.

For a complimentary consultation on your automotive advertising needs, or to share your wisdom and insights with the online automotive advertising community hosted by Ad Agency Online, L.L.C. visit the portal and contact Philip Zelinger directly. To quote Philip, “Help is only a click away because — after all, what are friends for!”

Direct Car Insurance is the option of buying your car insurance directly from an authorized insurance company instead of going through insurance middlemen and independent agents.

To explain let us take this example. If you are sick with pain in your joints, there are two options you can choose from. You either go to a general practitioner and he would recommend certain medicines that would ease your pain. Or, you proceed directly to an orthopedic specialist, one who specializes in illnesses related to the bones of the human body. Chances are that the bone specialist would be able to diagnose the exact nature of your ailment and prescribe maybe some medicines or exercises that will at once have better effect on your condition. The general practitioner would probably have an idea about your actual condition but may not be in a position to accurately treat it.

Something similar happens when you choose a direct car insurance policy over an indirect car insurance policy.

One may argue that it is far easier to get quotes and information on car insurance policies from multiple indirect sources, as there are plenty in the car insurance market. It may also be a better idea as these indirect car insurers offer a wide variety of services in order to keep their car insurance policies better than the rest.

This is however not without its associated costs. Remember middlemen and independent agents and such indirect car insurers are in a business and not providing you the service out of charity. They obviously are looking for their profits. While on the look of it you may be offered multiple services at some good prices, you must never forget that you are paying a higher rate for the same. The independent car insurance agents are putting in their profits into the quote. The larger these independent car insurance companies are, the higher the hidden costs.

The direct car insurance agencies, on the other hand have their benefits. If you go at first to a direct car insurance company, you will directly be in touch with the car insurance provider itself. These direct car insurance providers are usually large companies which have in house services like emergency pick up vehicles, tie ups with official car service centers, legal advisors and such important services. What happens here is that these direct car insurance providers may not have to outsource their services to other car insurance agencies? Even if they do, they have clear and set procedures that are outlined. This removes the reasons for inordinate delays in providing emergency car services, settling claims and providing interim relief through rent a car services etc.

When you buy a policy from a direct car insurance agency you also save on costs. You can get cheaper car insurance with some very good facilities. Remember it is not the amount of services that you can get but whether those services can be used when you need them.

You may even be able to work out cheaper premiums for flexible periodic payments as well when you go to direct car insurance agencies. And to top it off you may even get some free extra covers along with your standard cover as well. These come in handy and end up saving you some money at a later stage. For example you may get free extended territorial cover or the direct car insurance agency may offer extended legal liability to family members. These would be specific to the district of residence of course.

There are some direct car insurance agencies that also offer you a better premium if you insure more than one car with them. This really gets you a good reduction in your associated costs and it always helps if there is just one direct car insurance agency that has to be co-coordinated with at all times.

There are quite a few car insurance companies which provide direct car insurance and you may need to shop around a little before you actually make your decision. This will also give you adequate knowledge about what the direct car insurance agencies are offering in the car insurance market. So remember, going in for direct car insurance is in the larger picture more beneficial to your pocket!

Scott is a consultant at Direct Car Insurance [http://www.lespillets.com/Direct_Car_Insurance.html], a directory listing site with all your car insurance information needs. If you have any other car insurance questions please visit [http://www.lespillets.com/Direct_Car_Insurance.html]

It happens every time during your Caribbean sailing charter. You are relaxing onboard in a peaceful, idyllic anchorage – the crystal clear turquoise water gently lapping against the hull- when suddenly, the warm tropical breezes lure you ashore like a siren song with the sound of a party! Every year, the Caribbean plays host to hundreds of different parties ranging from religious celebrations, music festivals, fishing tournaments, sporting competitions to sailing regattas. No matter where you go, a party in paradise can almost always be a part of your Caribbean sailing vacation. The greatest party, however, is the annual Carnival celebration. Basically a street party, it is a fun mixture of party, theater, art and folklore tradition. For each island, the annual Carnival is big business, and preparations for the next one begin almost the day after the last one ends.

The history of Carnival celebrations began hundreds of years ago in Italy where Catholics held wild costume festivals right before Lent. Since they were not supposed to eat meat during Lent, the festival got the name, “Carnevale”, which means “to put away meat.” The famous Carnival celebrations eventually spread to other Catholic countries, including France, Spain and Portugal. As Catholic Europeans set up colonies and entered the slave trade, Carnival took root in the New World as well.

Today, Carnival celebrations are found throughout the islands. They have been transformed, however, from those original Italian costume festivals to something distinctly Caribbean that differs from island

to island. The Caribbean Carnival is a blending together of many European cultures, as well as African dance and music. Important to the celebration of the Caribbean Carnival is the African traditions of parading in costumes and masks and moving in circles through villages in order to bring good fortune, heal problems and calm angry spirits. Carnival is an important way for the people of the Caribbean to express their rich African cultural traditions by creating elaborate masks and costumes. It takes months and a lot of energy and creativity to come up with a concept and develop costumes for the dancers to depict a common theme.

When Carnival first began, it was celebrated from December 26th until Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday). Still using this traditional time, Trinidad has the largest carnival, with daily events for four weeks leading up to Shrove Tuesday. The last two days are the frenzied culmination of all the parades, the largest floats and the final competitions to decide the winners of various contests.

Other islands hold their carnivals at different times so as not to clash and allow people to enjoy several celebrations during the year. If you are planning a Caribbean sailing vacation, check with each island’s tourist office to get a schedule of events. It is great fun to plan a charter around Carnival. Although each island may hold Carnival during different times of the year, there are some common elements to the celebration. Many of the islands will use Carnival as the perfect occasion to commemorate other events in the island’s past. All will include elaborate costumes (Mas) worn by many people. Colorful floats and street parades (Pan) are accompanied by lots of music (especially Calypso) and bands, and there is usually an elected King and Queen.

Following is a glimpse of Carnival celebrations throughout the islands:

British Virgin Islands

The biggest event in the BVI, this Carnival goes by two names. Some locals refer to it as the, “August Festival”, while others call it the, “Emancipation Festival.” It begins July 1st and ends August 31st. This annual celebration marks the 1834 Emancipation Act which abolished slavery in the British West Indies. All the islands celebrate with events taking place across the region, although most celebrations are held in Road Town, Tortola. Visitors are in a for treat including live music, dancing, street performers, parties, parades and food and drink booths laced with a distinct Caribbean flavor. A hotly contested calypso competition leads to the coveted crowning of the Calypso King. There is also a competition for a festival Queen. Events not to miss include the food booths set up near the waterfront in Road Town; the children’s pageants; calypso, reggae and costume competitions; bands on huge sound trucks cruising the waterfront accompanied by crowds of dancers; steel bands on floats; all night parties and the grand costume parade.

St. Martin/Sint Maarten

This island is unique because it has a French and Dutch side-both of which are extremely distinct from one another. The way in which Carnival is celebrated is also distinct, depending on which side of the island you are on. Since French St. Martin is considered a part of Guadeloupe, see below. Carnival in Dutch Sint Maarten begins with the Balloon Jump-Up after Easter and lasts until April 30th, the birthday of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. The Balloon Jump-Up celebrates the opening of Carnival Village, an area two blocks from Front Street that houses more than 100 food booths. The Jump-Up parades are a top Carnival attraction with their brightly costumed dancers, floats and live bands. The largest of the processions is the Grand Carnival Parade, which features elaborately dressed Carnival dancers winding along a four-mile route. In between parades, spectators are entertained by steel drum bands from other Caribbean islands. Competitions (especially Calypso competitions) are an integral part of the festivities. A traditional art form of the Caribbean, Calypso competitions test the improvisational and narrative skills of a solo performer. The winner goes up against the previous years’ Calypso King or Queen in a battle for the new title. The day after a new Calypso monarch is crowned, a Jump-Up Parade called Jouvert (pronounced Jou-vey) begins at 4 a.m. and lasts until sunrise. The grand finale to Carnival is the Last Lap Jump-Up, lead by King Momo, the straw figure who reigns over Carnival. The burning of King Momo signals the end of Carnival. Local folklore is that he takes the sins of the villages with him, thus leaving the island pure.

St. Barths

St. Barths is one of the three countries in the world where Carnival actually ends at the end of Ash Wednesday. It officially begins the Saturday preceding Ash Wednesday, but unofficially starts the day after New Year’s Day. During this unofficial time, the Carnival associations begin rehearsals in the street and people spend their time making the beautiful floats for the parades. The official start of Fat Saturday (Samedi Gras) is an all night dance party. The king of Carnival is King Vaval – a giant mannequin. He is featured with revelers and floats on Fat Sunday (Dimanche Gras) when people enjoy Jump-Ups during the day and all night parties. There are parties every night during the official celebration of Carnival. On Fat Monday (Lundi Gras), everyone dresses in red for the day of the red devils. The costumes are beautiful works of art decorated with glitter and reflective silver. Finally, Ash Wednesday is the day everyone dresses in black and white for the funeral of King Vavel. Festivities continue until 7 p.m. when the straw figure of King Vavel is burned, marking the end of Carnival.

St. Kitts and Nevis

Carnival on St. Kitts and Nevis officially begins on Christmas Eve and ends on New Year’s Day. The unofficial start occurs months before with costume making and float building. The Carnival season consists of many different activities such as beauty pageants, street jamming, calypso shows and competitions, masquerades, mocko jumbies and other traditional folklore.

Antigua

The Antigua Carnival dates back to August 1, 1834, when slavery was abolished and locals went to the streets to joyfully express their celebration of freedom. The celebration continued until 1957, when it was officially declared Carnival. Antigua’s Carnival always takes place around the last week of July through the first week of August. The ten days of revelry includes marches, parades, Jump-Ups, shows, and dances to the beat of Calypso. The Antigua Carnival is a great time for visitors on a Caribbean sailing charter to immerse themselves with the culture of this island. During Carnival, St. John teems with street performers, food and drink booths. Pan Ban- steel pan orchestras- are followed by dance troupes wearing intricate costumes. The lively event culminates with a massive road party called Jouvert, (meaning “day break”), where everybody is on their feet dancing to the beat of steel drums.

Montserrat

Carnival in Montserrat is celebrated between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The festival includes steel bands, Jump-Ups, King and Queen competitions, and parades. One of the highlights of Carnival is the calypso competition finals where performers dress up and act out their calypsos. Calypso is usually a social commentary about things that are going on in the island as well as feelings about the current government. There is usually a double entendre and the songs tend to be quiet risqué. The winner of the competition is awarded prizes and celebrity status on the island, and they will represent Montserrat in the inter-island competitions. Besides the calypso competition, Carnival also includes steel bands, sporting events, barbecues, and dancing contests.

Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe’s Carnival also finishes on Ash Wednesday. Rehearsals begin in January, with groups disguised in costumes dancing and singing in the streets. Carnival reaches its feverous pitch between Shrove Sunday and Ash Wednesday. Shrove Sunday begins with parades, dancing, costumes, masquerades and street parties. On Shrove Tuesday, pajama clad masqueraders dance throughout the day. On Ash Wednesday, Guadeloupe’s unique celebration of Carnival is apparent as revelers dressed up in black and white he and she wolves take to the streets. That evening, with people dancing and dining, Carnival comes to a close with the cremation of King Vaval. Midway between Carnival and Easter Sunday, Carnival is revived for one day at Mid-Lent Thursday, where revelers, depicting themselves as devils, dress up in red and black costumes.

Dominica

Mas Domnik is held at the traditional pre-Lenten time. During the ten day celebration, there are lots of activities taking place around the island. It is a feast of calypso shows and street Jump-Ups. The opening parade kicks off Carnival. The Queen contestants, calypsonians, the most popular bands, people in sensay costumes, moko jumbies, cheerleaders and many more people parade through the streets in a kaleidoscope of colors encouraged by a huge crowd of onlookers. Throughout Carnival, there are calypso competitions, costume contests, street jams, sensay festivals and beauty pageants. On the two final days of Carnival, music, culture and people merge to celebrate with costumes, bands and parades. The final event takes place on Ash Wednesday with the burning of the Carnival King and the beginning of Lent.

Barbados

Beginning in May and continuing throughout the summer with various events, Crop Over is Barbados’ biggest, loudest and best-loved festival. Dating back to the late 1700s and early 1800s, when Barbados was one of the biggest sugar producers in the world, the end of the sugar cane harvest was celebrated with big parties. Today, the celebration continues with more flamboyance and extravaganza. The event officially begins in early July with a ceremonial delivery of the last sugar cane harvest and the crowning of the Carnival King and Queen. The following five weeks is marked by a heady mix of live music (including tuk, calypso, soca and street bands), dancing, food and craft markets, cultural presentations and much more. The Pic-O-De-Crop is part of the Carnival celebrations and is a part of a fierce competition to pick the best calypso band. The best bands then compete against one another in a bid to win the honor of taking on the reigning Calypso Kings. This is a great community event. Carnival culminates with a parade called, “Grand Kadooment.” Costumed bands take to the streets for the final competition for “Designer of the Year” crown. Revelers dressed in elaborate costumes depicting various themes wind their way through the streets, dancing as DJs play the most popular music.

St. Vincent and The Grenadines

Vincy Mas, as Carnival has become known since 1977, was first celebrated as a pre-Lenten festival by French colonists in the late eighteenth century. The observance of Carnival as a celebration of the privileged class continued under the rule of Great Britain, who celebrated the four days preceding Ash Wednesday as their annual, “Masked Balls”. With the coming of freedom, the ex-slaves took Carnival to the streets introducing African cultural traditions. In 1872, the colonial authorities attempted to ban the celebration. On February 11, 1879, Vincentians decided that Carnival would be celebrated, ban or no ban. The people resisted the armed forces of the empire, leading to riots in the streets, and the St. Vincent Carnival Riots became part of the island’s history. The peoples’ festival continued to grow until 1973, when the Carnival Development Committee took charge to put resources into the planning and organization of the carnival. In 1976, the CDC decided to change the dates of the official celebration of Carnival, and the rest is history. Beginning the end of June, Vincy Mas today is a ten day festival of Pan (panorama), Calypso and Mas (costumes), where society becomes classless and non-racial. The streets of Kingstown become a hive of activity with around the clock excitement. Vincy Mas is filled with mirth and gaiety. The streets are filled with the constant hammering of DJ music blaring out of temporary bars. Various competitions, including costumed bands, Queen Shows (beauty pageants) and calypso are all part of the celebration. If you are on a Caribbean sailing charter, you will be overwhelmed by the riot of color, clash of music, display of talent and the teeming mass of humanity that overtakes the island during Vincy Mas.

Grenada

Carnival is one of Grenada’s biggest annual festivals. Renowned for its color, creativity and unique cultural character, Carnival celebrations are held during the second week in August, just one week after Emancipation Day festivities. Although each parish has its own brand of traditional costume or mas, the main Carnival action is in the streets of St. George’s. Festivities begin in July with the opening of various calypso tents, where singers vie for a chance to compete in the National Calypso Monarch Competition. In early August, Carnival celebration gains momentum. Every night of the week, there are cultural presentations and calypso shows, while steel bands rehearse for the upcoming Panorama competition. Carnival week proceeds with the National Carnival Queen show, the Soca Monarch Finals, and the Panorama Steel Band Competition. Carnival Sunday brings the Dimanche Gras Show- featuring the Kings and Queens of the Fancy Mas Bands in competition for King and Queen of Carnival. From dawn on Carnival Monday, the streets of Grenada’s towns are filled with traditional masqueraders depicting Jab-Jabs (devils) and social commentaries of the highlights of the past year (Ole Mas). Spectators, and masqueraders alike dance in the streets to the sound of steel bands and popular music played by DJs. On Monday afternoon, the fancy or pretty bands appear on the streets as they make their way to the big stage for the fierce Band of the Year competition. The street party continues late into the evening as the Monday Night Mas Bands weave their way through the streets dancing and waving brightly colored fluorescent lights and continues until the early hours of Tuesday morning. On Carnival Tuesday, spectators and masqueraders again dance through the streets with the fancy bands. The party continues until midnight, when the official Carnival celebration ends.

Although the dates of the music competitions, Jump-Ups, food booths, beauty pageants, costume parades and others activities that make up the festivities vary from island to island, Carnival celebrations are held annually through the Caribbean. Even though each island may have its own twist to the event, it is an opportunity for the people of the Caribbean to express themselves artistically and socially. Carnival is a celebration of the sheer joy of life! Regardless of what your social status is or the color of your skin, everyone, including spectators, is a part of the celebration. No matter where you go, you do not need an elaborate festival to have a great time in the islands, but a Carnival celebration can be a fun part of your Caribbean sailing vacation.

Remember, “Dis party can’t done ’til morning come.”

Donna Wolfson also know as “Sailgirl” at Virgin Island Sailing, has been sailing in the Caribbean and writing about it for years. Learn more about Catamaran Charters.