Carnival brands collaborate to create Yard Mas

Five established carnival brands - I Love Soca, Fete Republic, Broadtail, CS, and Zarmak Limited - have collaborated to create a new band, Yard Mas, which they say will provide a bona fide Jamaican experience for masqueraders.

Andrew Bellamy, managing director of I Love Soca, said Yard Mas is poised to cause an energetic disruption for Carnival in Jamaica next April.

Bellamy, former CEO and band leader of Xaymaca International, said he saw the need to provide "an ego-free, masquerader-focused, high-energy carnival experience", hence the decision for the collaboration.

The launch of Yard Mas is set for next January. The new band has also partnered with Xaymaca to provide a new experience for those who missed out on their 2020 Carnival in Jamaica experience.

"Having stepped down as CEO and band leader of Xaymaca International due to the non-alignment of the directors, I know I needed to provide an avenue for Xaymacans to benefit from this new experience. I appreciate the trust they had in me when I was a part of that band, and I plan on providing the promised experience to them and our new masqueraders in this new venture," said Bellamy.