This also sounds so familiar! Normal life just stops when carnival is here, and people go ballistic on party mode.
For me it is also such a mystery to spend THAT amount of money on those kinds of costumes.
Maybe carnival is just a real island thing ;)
hahah, maybe, I confess I'm too quiet for it, I do love to dress up (in my own way) for my photography and art, but I rarely went outside during carnival, I would watch on television the parades and the election of the Queen though cos the Gala had this massive costumes that takes almost a year to be done :).
Thats what I liked about it last year. When you are working in the village, you are in the center of the festivities. Because I will not go to all of the shows every day. The go on until 3-4 AM and I have to work the day after.
Actually seeing the parades on TV is often better than live to really see the outfits, but the vibe is best while being outside