Seven of the 23 bands opted to make their way to the Mighty Grynner Highway, from one of the new starting points – Warrens, St Michael this morning.
The bands, which travelled along Green Hill and Codrington Road to parade in front of the judges on Stadium Road, were Aura Experience, Passion Vybz, Betty West Grand Kadooment Band, Khepri Kulture, Lux, Envy Mas Band and Krave The Band.
The bands were ready from as early as 8 a.m., with some such as Khperi Kulture and Krave The Band offering their masqueraders breakfast before they began their journey.
At 9:20 a.m., Aura Experience was the first band to move off and Krave the Band was the last group to depart from the starting point around 11:20 a.m.
Under the watchful eye of police, throngs of locals and tourists lined the streets from Warrens to Green Hill to get a peek of the colour and spectacle of Grand Kadooment.
Not only did locals come out in their numbers for the festivities but there was also strong participation from visitors in this year’s jump.
Kali Darling from Toronto, Canada was among guests participating in Grand Kadooment. This is her second time at the festival.
Speaking to Barbados TODAY, Darling said she loved the atmosphere of the festival.
“I like all the vibes, how the costumes are and how everything is laid out,” said Darling. She also endorsed the two new starting points at Warrens and the National Botanical Gardens.
“I don’t mind the new starting point because it actually gives me time to fix my costume and get everything ready because I wasn’t even on time”.
New York-based deejay and producer, DJ Spider was on the road with Krave The Band.
DJ Spider who is behind bashment soca hits such as She Always Bend Over by King Bubba, Tek Off Something by Stiffy and Marzville’s Bam Bim, was pleased with this year’s festival.
“The festival is going really good actually. I am very proud to see so many people here this year. There is a lot of people here and from different Caribbean islands so it is a really good look,” he said.
