This year’s Caribbean Carnival, sponsored by the Binghamton University Caribbean Student Association, renewed its reputation as one of the largest student-group events of the school year. The carnival featured both old and new attractions, musicians, food and a turnout that included scores of students from schools across New York State.
The event included both a day show and a night show, as it has in previous years. During the day, BU students could come and watch student groups from several different universities sing, rap and dance for only $2.
In the evening there was a dinner show that included a number of different performers and styles of music. Some of the performers included Denise Belfon, Ghetto Flex, a Hatian kompa band, a soca band called KMC and Elephant Man, a reggae singer.
CSA treasurer Carl Forbes Jr. said that one of the changes this year was that they didn’t serve cooked food at the dinner show. Juices and chips were a new addition this year.
There was also a Dance Hall Queen contest, in which the winner was awarded a crown, a gift bag and a chance to meet one of the artists who performed at the show.
Forbes said that this year’s turnout was on par with the previous four or five years.
“It’s about average. A little more than last year,” he said.
With a ticket cost of $34 dollars for BU students and $42 for non-students, Carnival is one of the most expensive yet well-supported events of the year.
Carnival is the Caribbean Student Association’s largest event. The CSA is funded by the Student Association.
As with any large scale events, including Incubus, Green Day and Ludacris, the campus police developed a comprehensive security plan that included metal detectors and extra police officers. For the first time in a few years, only the night show had metal detectors, said Capt. Donald A. Chier, a BU police spokesman.
“I thought it was a good crowd,” said Daniel P. Chambers, BU’s deputy police chief in charge of supervising law enforcement at special events. “Everybody seemed to have a good time.”