“Vibes; we are associated with having the best vibe on the road, hands down, and that is not self-praise; these are the opinions of people on the road,” replied Tanya Gomes, the Director of YUMA, when asked to describe YUMA in one word. Taking time out of her schedule to converse with Carib Voxx, Gomes breaks down the YUMA lifestyle and plans for 2024. Throughout the conversation, you can sense the pride and excitement with which she refers to YUMA, rightfully placed as their track record shows their influence in carnival spans over the last decade.
YUMA, for the few who may not know, is “the voice of the Young, Upwardly Mobile Adult masquerader,” in their own words. From the islands of Trinidad and Tobago to the world, YUMA provides services such as full-scale, all-inclusive roadshows, multi-band production, carnival logistic consultation, and full-scale raw material procurement. This brand lives for the culture, and Gomes lets us know just how much and what YUMA has in store for their “YUMANS,” as they call their family.
“The theme for YUMA 2024 carnival is On Tour.” As explained by Gomes, “On Tour” is inspired by different events, festivals, and celebrations from around the world, along with elements of culture. One of their sections is “Chella,” based on their interpretation of the festival. Other sections include Boombastic, Carnival, Lucid, Maculele, Mombasa, Nuri, Oil and Music, Psychedelic, Rebel, Rave, Vogue, and Wonderland.
“I think we have made our mark based on the response from our audience both in person at our launch and on social media. The costumes truly embody each theme with different elements in each design,” she says confidently.
Costume sections can be viewed here: YUMA Costume Sections
“We try to carry the culture as much as possible, apart from having the best DJs in the industry, locally and internationally,” she said boastfully with a laugh. The culture is something that YUMA takes seriously, maintaining the presence of live entertainment on selected trucks for patrons to participate in the music from a live perspective, resulting in a richer experience. If that wasn’t enough, the incorporation of their national instruments and BP Renegades during the intermission and rest period of the march shows their dedication to nonstop entertainment and adventures for their YUMANS. Preservation of the culture in today’s world is a notable pursuit, which YUMA must be commended for, as there are accusations that the traditions and sounds are being saturated as the world becomes arguably smaller.
“The YUMA vibe is unquestionable; you get that when you have an energetic group of people who love Mas, love the culture, love the production, and just go to events to be entertained. We don’t play any other music but soca on the road because we see that as our time goes on, there may be variations as the sun goes down, but the road is for soca. Whether it’s from yesteryear, throwbacks, calypso, or current, it doesn’t matter; it is soca. That is something that we keep close to us, and we don’t plan on straying anytime soon,” Gomes implied sternly.
Carib Voxx understands that carnival is a hectic season to operate in and around, and there are several challenges, such as quality control and logistics, that surround the operation. So, when questioned about said challenges and how they navigate them, she replied, “For sure, a carnival never goes exactly according to plan, regardless of how you prepare or try to have everything in place. This year we are early on packing, so we are ahead on certain things that have never been early. As it relates to quality control, we do fit costumes and do checks through the stages of costume building to ensure the best for our customers.” Elaborating on our question, we asked her about the hardest aspects of management during this period. “It’s probably people; there are a lot of different energies and personalities at play, and trying to have them operate as a unit is one of the hardest aspects. There are a lot of other aspects to the game, such as food and beverages, logistics, trucks, and entertainment, but it all boils down to people and managing people.”
The impressive YUMA has an impressive reach as they are aligned with several local and international institutions. Gomes, off the top of her head, quickly named some of the regions and countries in which they have influence, which included Grenada, St. Lucia, Miami, the United Kingdom, and Antigua, to name a few. Of course, we had to know her opinion of Jamaican carnival/mas events and how she excitedly explained her enjoyment of them, including the similarities and differences.
What is the availability of costumes like right now? “Depending on your size, some costumes will be sold out already. There are some sections that are sold out as we have started our packaging process, as mentioned before, but we do have costumes available that would be determined by size availability,” she explained to us regarding those who have not yet registered and are interested.
What is next for YUMA? Trying not to give out any secrets, she told us to stay tuned, as there are many things in play and up their sleeves. “We don’t tend to jump on trends that don’t align with our brand or values. There is a saying, let us do us; we stick to that and our core values,” she assured us. Concluding a lovely conversation, Gomes made sure to express her holiday wishes. “We wish our YUMANS all the best for the holidays and a blessed and prosperous new year,” she said with excitement in her voice.
