Mas Toronto's "Mas in Atlantis" a Carnival Mythology

We made the long trek out to Pickering to check out Mas Toronto's presentation of "Mas in Atlantis, a Carnival Mythology". The trip was well worth it, we were not disappointed. We saw lots of familiar faces in the crowd, as well as a couple of other band leaders, and the atmosphere was pretty chill, like old friends getting together after a long winter. Luckily we didn't pull the West Indian time thing, because they started right on time at 10:45pm.

The band volunteers were friendly and welcoming, and after the presentation they were signing up interested masqueraders and they were even giving out a good soca mix CD from DJ SMS. The costumes were quite nice. There was a noticeable contrast to last year, where more sections have embraced large feathery head pieces and the bikini and beads thing... I guess you give the people what they want. They still maintained some more traditional elements like the "sailorish" bell bottoms, and they had some beautifully decorated corsets for the ladies who are looking for some coverage. The models could have been coached to spend a little more time (pause & pose) down at the foot of the stage (where most of the photographers were gathered), but they did make up for this after the presentation when they mingled with the crowd and there was lots of opportunities for pictures.

The sections are First People of Atlantis, Ocean Warriors, Bacchanal People, Children of Calypso, Pan Jumbies, The Eruption, Rant & Wave, Sirens of the Deep, Waiting in Limbo.