Kejan Haynes
Lost TRIBE’s Creative Director Vamiki Maharaj promises the wildly successful Fete Yard will be back next year with a new theme but the same exciting vibe. Maharaj said Fete Yard, as the name suggests is a space that is visited “ritualistically by people of Carnival.”
Fete Yard was held on Friday 3, February on the top two floors of the Furness Car Park on Richmond Street. Patrons were asked to dress in their best “sailor mas” or as close to as possible and were treated to live performances which at times, literally had the place shaking.
Speaking with Guardian Media in a telephone interview Maharaj said the choice of the Furness Car Park was to give guests the ability to explore the capital city in a new, and safe way. Now any party could be held on the rooftop but the stage was one floor below with its low roof and sloped floor with stunning views of the city. Maharaj said he wanted an intimate feel.
"I wanted you to feel like you were partying in a basement in New York in the Meatpacking district. I wanted you to feel that warehouse basement feel,” Maharaj said. “I wanted it to feel big, but big in a different way. I wanted it to feel like the performer was close to you, like they were singing to you. Like they were singing next to you, you know, I wanted it to feel like you were standing inside the speaker box inside the lights, like you should just be surrounded by, you know, all these different stimuli.”
Maharaj was also elated at the varying degrees of sailor mas from plain white t shirts to the full traditional mas characters.
“I was very happy and pleasantly surprised that you know everyone, or most everyone in the party came dressed in theme,” Maharaj said. “There was a lot of conversation on social media even before you know, banter back and forth between the band and between different masqueraders about what they were going to wear and there was a lot of fun with it. To me, that's what you know, dress up on themes and concept parties are about.”
Maharaj said the Lost Tribe team was very emotional about the event, calling it an “expansion pack” that they wanted to embark on for a number of years, but delayed because of the Pandemic. As for what comes next year Maharaj tells Lost Tribe fans to stay tuned.
