An Army of Joy: A.M.Bush by Caesar's Army Caesar's Army To say there is a plethora of global parties worthy of “bucket list” status is an understatement. But if you’re like me, you know that music is the real currency of any bacchanal; also if you’re like me, you can only really get your vibes on if the tunes represent the music of the African diaspora—notably reggae from Jamaica, soca from Trinidad and the broader Caribbean, Amapiano from South Africa, Afrobeats from Nigeria and Ghana, and of course made-in-the-USA hip-hop and R&B. With this verifiably non-exhaustive list, I certify eight parties—some occurring weekly and some annually; some lasting hours and some for days—as joy-generating must-dos. Rands Cape Town: Another Kind of Church on Sundays Rands Cape Town Rands Cape Town (South Africa) I bet you’ve never partied in a post office before, let alone a post office in the heart of one of South Africa’s largest informal settlements, better known as townships. Welcome to Rands in Khayelitsha, a weekly tradition to which many—myself included—commit with fervent loyalty. The place is open on weekends and holidays, but Sunday is the holy day to be there, especially Sundays during the festive season, when you never know which local Amapiano star (or international celebrity) will turn up and join the incredible DJs on the mic. At Rands the braai (barbequed meat) is seasoned to delectable perfection, the local tunes are cutting edge, and the intensity of the energy—it feels like the place could erupt into chaos at any given moment, yet it never does—is pure South Africa. Dubai in Trinidad: The Magic of Fete With the Saints Fete With the Saints Fete with the Saints (Trindad) Trinidadian Carnival fetes are not mere parties but full-blown productions featuring themed dress and décor, electrifying soca concerts, a myriad of local and international cuisines, and top-shelf bars engineered to produce, well, spirited joy. If you’ve never been to a Carnival fete in Trinidad before, sell your first born (because that’s practically what it takes to land a coveted ticket!) to lose your fete virginity at Fete with the Saints. Last year I raved about their over-the-top Mayan scheme, complete with lava-spewing volcano in the middle of the party; this year they took it to the “NeX LvL” (such was the futuristic theme) by erecting a slice of Dubai in the heart of Port of Spain and delivering a headline-generating performance by the King of Soca himself, Machel Montano. Some advice: fast for two days in advance, to leave enough room for the overwhelming amount of divine cuisine available. MORE FOR YOU FBI Says Backup Now—Advisory Warns Of Dangerous Ransomware Attacks ‘It Begins’—Bitcoin And Crypto Brace For $80 Trillion U.S. Price Bombshell Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 2 Results: Full Fight Card Results And Reactions The Cookout! at Seasons Weekend Dubai Seasons Weekend Dubai Seasons Weekend Dubai (UAE) Dubai is the crossroads of the world—and especially the African diaspora. This makes it one of my favorite places to party; on a given night—thanks to brilliant musical curators like DJ Crown Prince, largely responsible for building up the Caribbean music scene in the UAE—you’ll get a smorgasbord of tunes hailing from Ghana and Jamaica to Barbados and California. Crown Prince launched Seasons Weekend in 2016 and has since teamed up with such Trinidad-based promoters as Scorch to build it into one of the coolest party weekends in any desert, anywhere. There’s a Caribbean-style cook-out serving up dancehall and jerk chicken from Miss Lily’s (the trendiest Caribbean restaurant in the region), a soca and reggae concert on the beach, rooftop venues with futuristic views for days, and a truly international crowd that flocks to Dubai for some high-class vibes. Scorch Stink + Dutty and Caesar’s Army A.M.Bush (Trinidad) If you’ve never been blanketed in paint and powder, drenched with water, totally drunk while watching the sun rise over verdant Caribbean mountains, what are you really doing with your life? So-called dirty fetes, inspired by the J’Ouvert tradtion, are a staple during Trinidad Carnival, and these are two of the best, happening in multiple Carnival locations but very much grounded in TnT. At Stink + Dutty by Scorch you’ll join thousands of, well, sorta-stinky and very-dutty (aka dirty) revelers in a stadium setting, with performances by all the major local soca artists. At A.M.Bush you’ll march through the fields behind massive music trucks while facing a deluge of paint, powder, suds, water and whatever else might come at you; inevitably a surprise soca performer—or maybe Rihanna, who showed up one year—will materialize on the truck as the sun rises, singing your favorite Carnival tune and leaving you in pure bliss. Rise & Shine: Sunrise Breakfast Party Sunrise Breakfast Party (Jamaica) Another venerable Caribbean Carnival tradition is the breakfast party, which on paper sounds like bona-fide madness: wake up in the middle of the night, go to a nice venue, drink and dance until the sun rises, eat a gluttonous drunken breakfast, then return home to get back in bed and knock out. Jamaican promoters Sunnation have perfected the art of the high-end breakfast party in both Trinidad and Jamaica, with their Jamaica fete ensconced as the place to see-and-be-seen at Jamaica Carnival each April. It’s a vibrantly decked-out slice of Trinidad in Jamaica, arguably one of the best geographical marriages imaginable. Afrobeats Star Ayra Starr at Flytime Fest Flytime Fest Detty December (Ghana, Nigeria) Festive season on the Continent might well be the party capital of the world, and Ghana and Nigeria’s Detty December—vibe-filled festivities that stretch well into January—are perhaps the crown jewels of it all, as thousands flock to the West African nations from across the diaspora to enjoy the holidays. A highlight was Afrochella, which, as the name implies, aimed to do for African music festivals what Coachella did for US ones: set a very, very high standard and showcase top Afrobeats artists. That festival is no more but there are plenty of others, notably the two decade-old Flytime Fest in Lagos, which is stellar for cool crowds, energizing performances and overall pride in the musical genius of Africa. Revelers at a Costume Party at Ibiza Soca Festival Ibiza Soca Festival Ibiza Soca Festival (Ibiza/Malta) Europe boasts a nice number of incredible reggae festivals—Rototom in Spain and Summerjam in Germany, for instance—but the Ibiza Soca Festival is the region’s only full-on soca festival, bringing the vitality of Caribbean Carnival to a very different kind of island. The result is a winning combination of Mediterranean sexy and Caribbean dynamism, with a weekend of themed parties at some remarkably beautiful waterfront venues. The year I made my way there, the festival had relocated from Ibiza to Malta, which actually made attending all the fetes something of a challenge: Despite loving the revelry, I fell hard and fast for Malta itself and spent some beautiful days immersed in its Europe-meets-Middle-East-meets-North-Africa culture. Ringing in the New Year in Style at Climax Frenchmen Climax (Jamaica) New Year’s eve is overrated—but Frenchmen Climax is not (how could it be, with a name like that?). Having set Jamaica’s standard for the all-inclusive party for some 30 years now, the promotion team stages multiple events on the island including full weekend parties during local holidays—but Climax is their crème-de-la-crème. Put on your most garish, chic outfit, head to a golf course decked out to look like a fantasyland, gorge on lobster and champagne, soak in the best reggae selectors in the world-capital of reggae—and when the clock strikes midnight and the fireworks light up the sky, make a resolution to feel this joyfully blessed every single day of the new year. Follow me on Twitter. Editorial StandardsForbes Accolades