J’ouvert Participants Color The Waterfront

J’ouvert attendees ended up at Carnival Village covered head to toe in a variety of colored chalks mixed with water and sprayed using squirt guns and plastic bottles.

The air was thick with colored chalks that splashed against the dancing bodies who participated in J’ouvert Thursday morning. Starting before the break of dawn, the Carnival event doesn’t end until after the sun has risen and participants have marched from Frenchtown to Carnival Village.

Attendees flooded the street following large mobile music stages, and towed bars down Veterans Drive while celebrating by spraying chalk-dyed waters into the air. Yellow, green and red stains could be found on the crowd’s smiling faces. Large water trucks rolled through the multitudes, spraying water over 20 feet from the nozzle and dousing individuals until their skin began to resemble watercolor paintings.

The Insomniacs J’ouvert Troop dances next to a mobile bar while being served drinks into their custom cups and water bottles.

Live music was performed on some mobile stages while others had speakers that blared current hits from Farmer Nappy and Pumpa + Marvelous. Women and men alike could be found dancing on top of parked cars, swinging around post lights and expressing themselves through eclectic dance moves.

When the march reached Fort Christian parking lot, J’ouvert attendees embraced the warm sunrise after marching in intermittent rainfall. While some participants went home to sleep, many stayed in Carnival Village and continued celebrating.

Many attendees said they wore white clothing on purpose to keep their stained shirts as a keepsake to commemorate the Carnival event.

“Everyone had a wonderful time and it was safe,” said VIPD Acting Commissioner Jason Marsh. “As Virgin Islanders and visitors alike, this is what we like to see; all getting together and just enjoying our culture. Thank you again and enjoy the rest of Carnival safely.”