Queen of Carnival Celena Rebecca Seusahai says carnival in Jamaica has the potential to become the next big contender in the global party market.

Celena, more widely known as ‘ceeforcarnival’ on Instagram, is entering her third year as CEO of Tribal Carnival in Toronto, one of the largest and most popular carnival bands this side of the hemisphere outside of Brazil. In two years, she has grown the band by three times its average size and is set to elevate Tribal again, to cross the threshold of having over 5,000 revellers in costume on the road at once.

She is the daughter of carnival pioneer Dexter Seushai, who helped introduce carnival in the Cayman Islands and Toronto under the umbrella Tribal Knights.

Although a Trinidadian national, the band is unaffiliated with the Tribe Band.

Speaking with Our Today about her thoughts on carnival in Jamaica, she said the country executed very well some of the key points of a good carnival season. She said that from her experience this year, the events outside of Road March were well organised. She believed the logistics behind hosting a party event is Jamaica’s strongest point.

“Food was available and on time, transportation was good and various events were able to secure some of the best DJs out there and can create some of the best parties compared to any country,” said the young CEO.

She credited the organisers of the “Big Wall” carnival after-party for how well the event turned out and called it her favourite party experience of the season in Jamaica.

In terms of weak points, she said although not unique to Jamaica, carnival bands always need to find ways to cut down on the wait times for patrons to collect their costumes.

She was, however, sympathetic towards GenXS in particular. “Clearly, the band had big plans for this carnival and were aiming to make its mark this year and with everything that happened, I think they still proved that they are a great front-running band.”

Another issue she pointed out is the vulnerability in the security system on the road. Seusahai said she’s aware firsthand of the dangers that hazard stormers (bystanders who invade the Road March) can cause. “To be clear, I have seen it done well in Jamaica before, but there should have been more, for this Road March.”

Speaking on the ‘Jam on the Junction’ incident that halted GenXS’ road march for over an hour, Seusahai said she was surprised.

“Honestly, it took me a while to notice. It’s unfortunate, but I was impressed by how the GenXS DJs kept the vibes going,“ she said.

Seusahai said that based on what she has seen, Jamaica Carnival has a lot of potential to improve to become a strong force in the global market, especially if delivery on the Road March experience is enhanced.

“The main priority should always be to keep representing Caribbean culture in a way that we can all be proud of,” she advised.

READ: Jam on the Junction: GenXS route blocked off by Xodus and Yardmas

Poor punctuality cited for road march chaos with Carnival bans in New Kingston