Foreign visitors aplenty raring to go for Carnival in Ja; Xodus touts focus on experience

The magnetic pull of Jamaica’s cultural charm keeps foreign carnival enthusiasts returning annually to play mas.

Just ask European national Lavinia Laber, who plays mas locally with Xodus.

“The music, dancing, people, food, all of it creates an unforgettable experience. I’m definitely here for the vibes,” explained the Polish dancer and model about what prompted her decision to rebook with the carnival band this year.

It is fresh on the heels of having relished her Carnival in Jamaica baptism last April.

Laber’s best friend, Agnieszka Bialon, had been an Xodus model for several seasons and recommended the band to her. “I was a first-timer in Jamaica with them in 2025,” shared Laber, who checks carnivals in Trinidad – which she has faithfully attended since 2019 – and also Berlin in 2018 and 2019, off her list of masquerade events where she has jumped in.

Counting down the days until she returns to Jamaica, the masquerader is in a buoyant mood. “I [can] hardly wait,” she exclaimed on the line from the twin-republic island, which she currently calls home.

Laber is most looking forward to “Tailgate, that’s my favourite Xodus event, and I want to reunite with friends.”

Of course, top of mind is Carnival Sunday’s road march coming up on April 12.

There are treasured memories of her costumed foray through the streets of Kingston that Laber is eager to replicate. “It was a perfect mix of soca, dancehall, and sometimes even reggae classics on the road,” recalled the fêter who already has pencilled in a trip to Dub Club, ice cream at Devon House, and a BBQ zinger sandwich from KFC as must-dos once she is in Kingston.

A full-fledged devotee of The Rock now, Laber is spreading the gospel of Carnival in Jamaica. “My best friend Aga and I organise an annual carnival trip called Bubble ‘n Lime. Every year, we aim to bring a group of masqueraders with us. Mostly it would be people from Europe, but anyone who’s looking for a carnival team to touch di road together is welcome to join us,” she discloses.

Of the more than 4,000 Xodus revellers in the 2025 iteration, there were new arrivals to the party beyond the usual suspects from the Caribbean and North America. Participants also jetted in from Sweden, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Hong Kong, and France.

Xodus Carnival’s Chief Executive Officer, Pierre Goubault, believes the secret sauce to the band’s expanding success with both local and international patrons is the approach to delivering a curated experience.

“We stand out because we adapt to our Jamaican environment,” Goubault shared. “We don’t necessarily follow the trends of other Caribbean countries but use their expertise that we have learnt from being in these territories to advance and adapt them to our Jamaican principles.”

Distinctive elements

The CEO said the distinctive elements of the carnival band that have curried favour among its faithful range from its costume production to its moving vehicles on the big day.

“We have made custom-made trailers that fit our roads’ widths and heights and incorporate dancehall into our soca,” Goubault touted, while highlighting the band’s in-house designs.

For 2026, the band’s design storyboard has six sections under its Olympix theme – Arrow, Goal, Rev, Serve, Sprint and Zen – along with private sections Balance, Glide, and Slam. There is also the Torch monokini option and T-shirt packages.

Goubault leads the four-man Xodus executive team of Carlos Philpotts, Scott Dunn, and Kamal Bankay.

Goubault said there is a deliberate focus on refining the masquerader experience. We have “put a lot of emphasis on costume sizing, production quality, the distribution process, and shortening the wait times. Between our offerings on the road and consumer engagement, our repeat patron is very high. That means we are doing something well with our overseas patrons,” he said.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett revealed earlier this month at a media briefing that last year’s carnival season in Jamaica netted $7.7 billion in direct expenditure and produced an estimated $165.7 billion for the economy in 2025.

Bartlett reported that overseas revellers spent on average US$5,320.89 per person in 2025, up from US$3,209 per person in 2024. This resulted in total direct spending of an estimated $3.76 billion (US$23.6 million).

In crunching the numbers, the minister pointed out that of first-time visitors last year, 78.7 per cent said they travelled to Jamaica specifically for carnival, while 87.7 per cent were repeat visitors.

“That means carnival is not simply entertainment, it is motivating travel and building loyalty,” Bartlett told members of the media. “It is giving people a reason to choose Jamaica again and again,” he said.

Heading back to Jamaica’s shores any day now is Trinidadian pharmacist and model Faith Gillezeau. For Gillezeau, who has played mas in Trinidad since 2017 and also in the Cayman Islands in 2024 with Xodus’ section in Renegade Mas there, The Rock has its special allure.

“The atmosphere in Jamaica is something like no other and truly a reflection of the richness of the island’s culture,” the 26-year-old assessed. Plumed and bikinied costume long purchased, Gillezeau is set to jump in Xodus’ Arrow section this year.

“I’m looking forward to the creative mastery of this design that is truly one of a kind.”

With Dunn’s River Falls and Maiden Cay on the swimsuit-ready itinerary, and Mystic Thai on the must-dine spot, Gillezeau says, “They need to open the gates to wet fête now because I’m outside.”

lifestyle@gleanerjm.com