Jamaica Carnival

Jamaica Carnival is the island's soca- and dancehall-inflected masquerade season around Easter — with road marches, sound trucks, and fetes that blend Caribbean carnival traditions with local sound-system and bashment culture.

Why it matters: Carnival shows how Jamaican events absorb Trinidadian mas while retaining yard sonics. Artists release seasonal riddims; fashion and sponsorship cycles parallel but differ from reggae festival economics.