WILLEMSTAD – This is the final week of preparation for the more than 20 carnival groups set to take to the streets this Sunday and Tuesday. At various sedes (clubhouses), members are working into the early hours of the morning to perfect every detail of their costumes and floats.
The group Hats Off To Dreams (HOTD) has its headquarters near La Hacienda Olivia. On Tuesday evening, as on every night leading up to the parades, dozens of members were putting the finishing touches on their costumes—glitter by glitter. Outside, a team of drivers and mechanics was busy preparing one of the five trucks that will accompany the group, carrying the bar, the band, DJs, and portable restrooms. Other elements, such as banners, logos, and decorative signs, were also still being finalized.
For carnival enthusiasts, preparations begin the day after the previous year’s festival ends. In the case of Hats Off To Dreams, founder Janis Vinck started by conceptualizing this year’s theme: “Kandela – Burning Passion”, symbolizing the fiery passion within every individual that is unleashed during carnival. The costume designs were then meticulously developed into different models for men and women.
By the fall, the designs were presented to attract new members to join the group. Next came the sourcing of fabrics, feathers, and materials—often ordered from China.
Board member Lysayé de Windt emphasized the intensity of the final stretch: “We work on carnival 365 days a year, but most of the work happens in the last two weeks—especially on the final night. Some of us march in the parade without having slept at all.”
