Playing mas is ‘cultural and collaborative’ – Radio 1Xtra DJpublished at 11:01 BST
11:01 BST
Andrew Rogers
BBC Newsbeat
As we mentioned in our previous post, “mas” bands are a trademark feature of Carnival.
BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ Nadia Jae is celebrating 60 years of Notting Hill Carnival by joining one of the costumed masquerade bands parading through the streets.
The groups, which can have hundreds of members, are judged in a competition for the best costumes and choreography.
Nadia tells BBC Newsbeat her costume is an “explosion of colour” – bright blue, orange, pink – in honour of this year’s Indian Ocean theme.
Playing mas is a “beautiful, cultural, collaborative” tradition, she says, adding that it involves months of planning and high levels of secrecy from the organisers of each group.
“I didn’t know what my outfit looked like literally until this week,” she says.
Nadia compares the time and effort masquerade band organisers put into the carnival to running a marathon.
“It’s like getting to the end and waving your flag and you’re like: ‘Yeah we finally did it’,” she says.
Image caption,
Nadia (left) wearing her colourful costume, and fellow 1Xtra presenter Remi Burgz (right)