Brooklyn native Destiny Richard invested nearly $4,500 in her recent trip to South Florida for Miami Carnival, covering airfare, event tickets, an Airbnb, and a stunning neon green costume adorned with feathers and a headpiece.
She described the experience as “all worth it” to immerse herself in the vibrant celebration of Caribbean culture, which welcomes attendees from all backgrounds.
According to miamiherald.com, “It’s all worth it when you touch the road,” she said of being on the parade route. “You don’t even remember the process. You’re happy to be there and looking at everybody’s costume.”
At the same time, Richard and others say participating in Miami Carnival has become more expensive than ever due to rising costs of travel, accommodations and event tickets. While some Carnival participants say they will not be deterred by rising costs, others have opted to stop attending one of the biggest gatherings of the Caribbean community in America.
In 2000, Richard was a little girl in Brooklyn when she remembered seeing people walking on stilts, wearing extravagant outfits and dancing to loud Caribbean music. Her family was attending the New York Carnival, and she cherished the feeling. That became the foundation for her to attend Miami Carnival, which she did for the first time in 2021 before returning for a second time in 2023. “One of my first memories is my mother bringing me to the Labor Day Parade,” Richard said. “I always thought, ‘I want to do that someday.’”
Richard continues to attend Miami Carnival despite high costs because of her reverence for the celebration and its connection to her culture. Still, she realizes everyone may not have the financial resources to attend. While the price of admission hasn’t risen as steeply as other associated costs, like travel, a spokesperson for Miami Carnival estimated that ticket costs for both official events and unofficial parties have gone up between $5 to $10 over the past few years because of inflation. In 2021, Richard remembered costumes for a particular band went on sale in June of that year and sold out that August. This year, she noticed the same band’s costumes took twice as long to sell out, though they eventually did. “Finances are affecting it,” she said. “Not everyone can put a deposit on it, but this is the thing people [want to] save their checks for.”
Like Richard, Coral Gables engineer Rich Vilabrera attended Miami Carnival for the first time in 2021. Although he had a fun time, Vilabrera, a 30-year-old of Trinidadian descent, said he lost over $500 on unofficial ancillary events that were shut down or canceled at the last minute for various reasons. “Logistically, 2021 was a nightmare,” he said. “ … These events are not cheap. Tickets can be $80 or $90 per event and $180 for all-inclusive options. If you pay all that money for an event and it’s shut down with no refunds, you’re out of that money.” In 2023, Vilabrera attended Miami Carnival for the second time after skipping 2022. Although he didn’t have any travel-related costs, he said he still ended up spending about $1,000, including $600 on a costume.
This year, budget constraints kept him from joining the festivities. Vilabrera said many of his friends have opted to attend Carnival elsewhere. While celebrating Carnival in another country is not necessarily less expensive, doing so comes with the appeal of taking an international trip. “I realized my other friends weren’t flying in anymore [to Miami],” he said. “Everyone else is doing Carnival outside of the country, like in Grenada.”
Conetia “Drippppp” Anderson, a 30-year-old ambulance dispatcher and up-and-coming social media influencer from Brooklyn, told the Herald she has attended 18 Carnival celebrations in the U.S. and other countries. Each event is another opportunity to engage her 7,000 Instagram followers and has even led to her getting modeling work. But it comes at a cost. To prepare for Miami Carnival, Anderson paid $90 for her boho braids, $80 for a pedicure, $110 for a manicure and $100 for waxing. She stayed with five other people and paid $490 for her share of an Airbnb rental. Her costume came out to $600, and she said she spent between $400 and $500 on party tickets. Including her $400 plane ticket, Anderson spent nearly $2,400 on attending Miami Carnival. But, she said, the value of the experience is twofold: She gets to expand on her work as an influencer representing the “curvy” community and also celebrate her Caribbean heritage. She views the expense no differently than a gamer upgrading to the latest PlayStation or a car enthusiast spending their money on parts to refurbish a diamond in the rough. “My dad is Jamaican, and my mom is from Barbados. Being Caribbean, Carnival and soca is part of my culture,” she said. “I do it because it’s my thing. Everybody has their niche.” Richard echoed Anderson’s excitement about being part of a Miami weekend of immense fun, elaborate attire and dancing. No amount of money, she said, could outweigh the joy she feels during Carnival. “Think of the most fun, exciting night in your life,” Richard said. “Something takes over you. I’m so excited to even come.”
