sinBAD
Section Sold Out
Inspired by:
The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor
Designed by:
Valmiki Maharaj
The Story
Driven by an insatiable wanderlust, a courageous mariner from Baghdad sets sail across uncharted waters. Over the course of seven legendary voyages, this ultimate traveler encounters the unpredictable and perilous wonders of the ancient world.From being stranded on a slumbering sea monster to escaping giant flesh-eating birds, his journeys are a relentless cycle of disaster and triumph. Time and again, he loses his crew and cargo to the fury of the elements, surviving only by his sheer wits, adaptability, and resilience.
Ultimately, his narrative is about the transformative power of exploration. He is the eternal wanderer who braves the terrifying unknown, conquers adversity, and returns home enriched with priceless wisdom and unbelievable tales of survival.
The idea of our roaming section began years ago with Wild Parrot from FLY. Parrots never stay still—they move freely through the city, reminding us that the spaces we think belong to us never really do.
That untamed energy felt exactly like a Lost Tribe masquerader, and from that came the idea of a section that wasn’t confined by the traditional boundaries of mas, but instead could roam, interrupt, and transform the experience wherever it appeared.
This year that idea evolves into sinBAD. Inspired by the legendary traveller, the section celebrates curiosity, freedom and the instinct to wander. But it’s also a play on words—awakening the ‘BAD’ in all of us. The rebel. The rule-breaker. The spirit that refuses to stand still.
As a designer, I’m fascinated by creating new spaces for masqueraders to exist within Carnival. Designing isn’t just about costumes—it’s about designing behaviour, movement and emotion. sinBAD isn’t meant to stay in one place. It’s meant to drift through the band, weaving between stories, disrupting them beautifully, and creating moments that could never be choreographed.
Watching sinBAD appear unexpectedly throughout the presentation is performance art in itself. It’s a living reminder that sometimes the most memorable stories aren’t the ones that follow the path—they’re the ones that choose their own.
Valmiki Maharaj
