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So guys, have you heard?
The Caribbean islands, St Vincent and the Grenadines, are planning to bring the Carnival experience to the metaverse in 2022. Now how cool is that?
If you don't know what Carnival is, it's not the regular fair with ferris wheels and hotdog joints and stalls where you can throw darts and win teddy bears. This is a large scale street festival which originated in the twin island Republic Trinidad and Tobago on the southern end of the Caribbean archipelago, and which has spread across the Caribbean and to numerous other countries around the world.
In Trinidad and Tobago, Carnival festivities pre-COVID involved all inclusive fetes and street parties which began in the days after Christmas and continued all the way through to end at midnight on Carnival Tuesday (the night before Ash Wednesday begins ushering in the Lenten season). In other islands, Carnival festivities are observed at other times during the year including July and August.
Carnival is a major tourist attraction for the Caribbean, and if you're the type to have a fun time, then you'd understand why.
I mean, guys, how can you not love this music? Take a listen, doesn't this music make you just want to dance and have a fun time?
Anyways, unfortunately, because this type of festivity requires a high level of socialization, Carnival festivities suffered a blow as borders were closed and economies crippled with governments, scrambling to contain the spread of the COVID 19 pandemic, were forced to choose between the popular festivities and the income traditionally generated by these events and public health. For the past couple of years, public health considerations health sway and there was little talk major festivities.
This year, however, a wind of change is blowing, and while Trinidad and Tobago, arguably the pioneer of Carnival in its traditional form, has chosen to implement a limited, safe zone type of celebration for partygoers this year, the government of St Vincent and the Grenadines is thinking outside the box and, following on the heels of its neighbor, Barbados, who recently opened an embassy in the metaverse, investing in Decentraland real estate, St Vincent and the Grenadines is now exploring options to host Metaverse Mas, fusing real world Carnival celebrations with the digital world. And listen, guys, I am all for it.
In an article published by Urban Islandz recently, the island's Minister of Culture, Carlos James, is quoted as saying that his government is in discussions with a view to host the event in a digital space. And guys, I am all for it.
I'll tell you this, these past couple of weeks have been daunting for me. When the crypto markets plummeted this month, it was just as I was about to make some major investments. In fact, I had already started when Bitcoin plummeted and, well, let's just say, it wasn't pretty. I'm guessing many of you can relate. But, I believe in the crypto evolution, and so I'm not gonna turn tail and run for the hills. I'm thankful that I didn't go all in at the end of last year as I had planned, and instead made some conservative choices. And at this time, I am a glass half full kinda guy. Rather than seeing blood or condemning the market as a bubble, I'm seeing opportunities and I am taking the opportunity to get my favorite coins at bargain prices. In fact, I'm trying this dollar cost average method, hopefully it will work for me.
But, that's an aside. We were getting into Carnival in the metaverse. And guys, I think it's a huge deal on so many fronts. Carnival is uniquely fun and engaging and as Caribbean people migrate to other parts of the world, they have carried their own version of these festivities, so that you have Nottingham Carnival in England, Miami Carnival and Brooklyn Carnival or the West Indian Day parade in the United States among many others. But I still think there is an immense opportunity to take this event, package it, and present it on a world stage like never before. It's an awesome opportunity for creatives, I think, and I am definitely excited to see if and how this pans out.
It wouldn't be the first time festivities or shows were hosted in the metaverse. Recently, pop star Justin Bieber hosted a live metaverse concert:
Rapper Snoop Dogg also hosted a private party in the metaverse.
So I'm happy to the Caribbean getting in on the action and embracing, albeit tentatively, the metaverse and the opportunities that are presented. And guys, I'll tell you for sure, if there's Carnival in the metaverse, I'm fixing to be there.
But I'd love to know what you guys think of partying in the metaverse? Do you think that this is a trend that's gonna catch on, or do you think it's a poor comparison to the real live thing? Also, what do you think of the Caribbean islands getting into the metaverse altogether, with Barbados investing in the world's first embassy in the metaverse and now this? And in the digital metaverse, who do you think will be best suited for an event like this, Decentraland, the Sandbox, or another lesser known project?
Lemme know guys, I'd love to hear your views.
Until the next time, arriverderci!
