Do you want to play mas without having to shell out thousands of dollars for a costume?
Well, small band Fête Truck has a solution.
They are offering the full Carnival experience without the financial hassle as its masqueraders can jump up in whatever they fancy, founder Vince Charles told the Business Guardian.
The band’s name reflects its essence.
“Fête Truck is all the fun associated with Carnival. Carnival is a fête on the road. It is great music with friends and with a drink in your hand... this is our truck, the truck represents the fête so Fête Truck,” Charles explained.
Charles, also an attorney, said it began in 2020 with a small group of friends.
In expounding on the business model he explained, “It is for the simple reason that we were not interested in the expense of the costume and we also wanted the freedom and flexibility to enjoy Carnival our way.”
Apart from the increased cost of costumes there also remains the economic hardships stemming from COVID.
“Some people do not have the money to purchase a costume at $6,000 or more in addition to everything else and then COVID happened and during that time no matter if you were wealthy or poor you had to make some serious decisions about value for money,” Charles said, emphasising that the focus is giving the client the ability to dress how they want by simply providing a space to do so.
He also noted that coming out of the pandemic he wanted to still enjoy Carnival at a reasonable price.
“This was based on what was the cost of coming out, so you had the music trucks, the security which is a huge issue, your drinks and service and everything else but if we took the cost of the costume out of it, this would make it affordable and we started looking at what is a reasonable amount to charge somebody and then worked our way back without compromising security and service,” Charles further explained.
On the offerings he said revellers get a back-pack with all Carnival essentials including sunscreen, a tee-shirt which is optional to wear, a hat and an access band.
While patrons can make-up their own costumes, wearing the hats and the access bands provided are mandatory to be easily identified.
There are also conveniences of an amenities truck.
Not wanting to leave out the J’Ouvert experience, the band is linked to Clay Evolution which has been around for the past 10 years.
More importantly, Fête Truck gives people the choice to play mas how they want with a variety of packages priced in both TT and US currency.
Those wanting to pay J’Ouvert only with Clay Evolution will have pay $650 or US $100.
Playing mas with Fête Truck on Monday is priced at $949 or US$150; with Fête Truck on Tuesday costs $1,549 or US$240; with Fête Truck both days amount to $2,399 or US$370.
There’s also the mix-and-match offer.
For instance, those wanting to play J’Ouvert with Clay Evolution plus jump up with Fête Truck Monday will pay $1,574 or US$250; J’Ouvert and with Fête Truck on Tuesday amounts to $2,174 or US$340.
Masqueraders who want to play J’Ouvert and with Fête Truck on both Carnival Monday and Tuesday will have to pay $3,000 or US$470.
“Everything can be added on or can be subtracted,” Charles said adding, “For a couple to play mas it can easily cost around $13,000. If they play with us it’s $4,800 and they can dress how they want and they still get the full experience.”
According to Charles, about 500 to 600 people are registered with the J’Ouvert segment while Fête Truck has between 200 to 250 people this year.
He said this year, the band’s numbers were “purposely small in controlled numbers.”
The figures for the J’Ouvert band was also reduced as Charles explained, “We were a big band and we also appreciated that coming out this year would have been difficult so we brought our number down and also kept our prices down.”
Also, he wants to ensure that this year’s offering is done properly.
Refreshments are not to be left out as the band offers alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and lunch on both Monday and Tuesday with light snacks on Tuesday.
On why no breakfast, Charles said this was to avoid wastage.
“Often times you would cater for everybody and there’s a lot of food that’s left over. We would rather offer persons something light and give them a substantial lunch,” Charles said.
In detailing the band’s journey from inception to now, Charles said the response has been overwhelming, noting that in 2020 it was free to play with Fête Truck.
“We invited friends who were not playing to come out and have a jump-up with us and we only went out on the Tuesday. We started with 30 people and at the end of the day we had about three or four that number,” Charles said, adding that those initial revellers came in a variety of clothing ranging from Fancy Indian headwear to the casual jeans and a tee-shirt.
“Some made up their own Monday wear and what we found was a lot of people who were in traditional bands left and came and spent the entire Tuesday afternoon with us on our truck.
“Based on that we realised there’s a market for people who want Carnival at their own pace and also affordably priced,” Charles said.
With time, the band’s concept was tweaked to provide a more fulfilling experience.
So what’s in-store for 2024?
Charles said Fête Truck plans to introduce costumes but in keeping with the original concept there will be a choice.
“There will always be a space for some people who enjoy costumes and this will be on the basis of a colour theme,” he added.
He said the band has already partnered with someone to produce and design a costume.
“But again that is modular so you might just want the bathing suit and the headpiece; someone else might want the back piece to go with a headdress for instance. We want to always give people that ability to express themselves,” Charles added.
