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And the craziness of carnival day it starts from early - while most of us were still sleeping, as a matter of fact. Monica Bodden didn't sleep up, though, she was out there that early and she has this report on the sort of cool craziness that ensued:...

Monica Bodden Reporting
Before dawn a multitude of revelers was out in the street swarming across Central American Blvd into Cemetery Road - in a mess of mud, music and mayhem.

Most of these revelers had been up from 4 am and walked from all across the city to participate in what could be called the common persons carnival… no costumes required, no dance steps, no lines… just music and mud.

Participant 1
"I feel Excited....."

Monica Bodden
"First time you all are doing J'ouvert or every year?"

Participant 2
"Last year because of carnival, but this year we are hype up."

Monica Bodden
"What time you wake up this morning for the J'ouvert?"

Participant 3
"I wake up at 4 o' clock."

Monica Bodden
"Is it something that you do every year?"

Participant 3
"Yes ma'am."

Monica Bodden
"Are you going to watch carnival today?"

Participant 3
"Yes ma'am."

But this year there wasn't only mud - there was also chocolate with the coco devils

Participant 4
"We wake up and we haven't got any sleep yet."

Participant 5
"We are having fun."

Monica Bodden
"I notice that you don't have mud. What do you got?"

Participant 5
"Chocolate."

Participant 6
"I am up since 3 o' clock. I went to sleep at 12 and I've been up since 3am."

Monica Bodden
"Is this something that you do every year?"

Participant 6
"Actually this is my first year and I join the coco devils but........"

Monica Bodden
"Are you having fun?"

Participant 6
"Look at me. Here is some coco for you."

Monica Bodden
"Is this your first year in J'ouvert?"

Participant 7
"It is my first year."

Monica Bodden
"How is it going so far?"

Participant 7
"We are with coco devils and we are having a lot of fun."

Monica Bodden
"Hi Ms. Vernon, how are you doing?"

Participant 8
"Having fun."

Monica Bodden
"Are you enjoying yourself?"

Participant 8
"Exactly, that's what we are doing out here."

Monica Bodden
"Is this the first time you have something like this where its chocolate instead of mud?"

Participant 8
"Well I was in Trinidad early this year and I saw it and thought we could bring this to Belize and have some fun as well and we are having fun. This year is going to be bigger and better."

Monica Bodden
"So it is a success the first time?"

Participant 8
"Exactly. I have 75 people and more people `wanted to join us this morning, so next year it's going to be much bigger."

And as dawn turned into daylight the crowd only seem to grow as the procession made its way over the Bel China Bridge and then unto Douglas Jones Street.

Monica Bodden
"Patrick how are you feeling this morning?"

Patrick
"Good, bigger and better"

Monica Bodden
"I always see in J'ouvert every year."

Patrick
"It's about 11 years."

Monica Bodden
"You guys having fun out here?"

Participant 9
"It's a lot of fun."

Patrick
"There is a young lady beside you who need to get it."

Participant 9
"Miss this culture is very important because it maker every neighborhood inter-react like in Dangriga we have the John Canoe (Jonkonnu)."

Monica Bodden
"So you come out every year for this?"

Participant 9
"Yes this is like my second time now and its very good for the culture."

Participant 10
"Well right now I feel hype up. This is like the fifth year since I never been in the J'ouvert and to the Western Paradise Masqueraders Carnival Band - I came out last year, this year I didn't come out but next year Western Paradise comes stronger than ever and we are coming to take everything."

Participant 11
"Monica you know when you come out here on this day is to enjoy the best of it."

Monica Bodden
"So you are enjoying yourself?"

Participant 11
"Oh yes."

Participant 12
"Let me dig down deeper to see if I can get more out of it Monica because I have to. This is it."

Monica Bodden
"What time you come out here for J'ouvert this morning?"

Participant 12
"I get up like from 3 o' clock this morning."

Monica Bodden
"From 3 o' clock?"

Participant 12
"Yes because I live at mile 8 and so I have to drive down with my son to enjoy this."

Monica Bodden
"This is something that you do every year?"

Participant 12
"Every year I try to make it but unfortunately the last two years I couldn't make it but this year I was well overwhelm with the crowd that I see out this year."

Monica Bodden
"It's the biggest that you've ever seen?"

Participant 12
"It's the biggest crowd we have seen for J'ouvert."

Monica Bodden
"Where do you all get this energy to wake up so early and then still go and watch carnival?"

Participant 12
"It's the spirit - this is the celebration time and especially like how it's our 30th birthday this year I think everybody is just in the groove."

Monica Bodden
"So I can expect to see you out there for carnival?"

Participant 12
"Well I am a part of the officiating team so you will definitely see me in it."

Participant 13
"Are you having fun?"

Monica Bodden
"Is it your first time out here or you always come with your father?"

Participant 13
"This is my first time miss."

Monica Bodden
"So you will go and tell all your friends about your experience?"

Participant 13
"Yes ma'am."

The massive crowd made its way back to the Belcan Bridge where the Jouvert came to an end…

I would say it was well over a thousand people who danced the street in mud.

And the last part of the Jouvert - at least for some people - is jumping into the river to clean off that mud.

And our team only had time to wash off all that mud and re-load for the Carnival road March which started up at 1:00 pm. Monica Bodden was back out there at noon, speaking with the revelers, both young and old as they got ready to put their hyper feet unto hot pavement:...

And then it was unto the road where no amount of organization could have prepared the revelers for the hot pavement and high temperatures.

Participant 1 "I am 11 years old."

Monica Bodden
"What is your name?"

Participant 1
"Sheyanne Cadle."

Monica Bodden
"Now Sheyanne you ready to push this costume all the way to BTL Park?"

Participant 1
"Yes ma'am, we train every day and we get use to the sun so we will push it all the way."

Monica Bodden
"Tell me what you do during your training?"

Participant 1
"A lot of dancing. I really ready for this carnival right now and we do a lot of dancing."

Monica Bodden
"Is this your first year or you've been in carnival before?"

Participant 1
"This is my first year."

Monica Bodden
"So you think you are ready for this?"

Participant 1
"Ready a long time."

Monica Bodden
"Tell me a little bit about your costume?"

Participant 1
"Well my costume it symbolizes peace; you know the wars and things that happen in Belize - well this symbolize peace; the red, white and blue and then it have the Coat of Arms. Our there is "Belize at 30 and its people"."

Monica Bodden
"So you are ready to entertain the crowd?"

Participant 1
"Ready as Freddy."

Monica Bodden
"This is Mahogany Masqueraders - tell me a little bit about your costume? I understand `you are the queen and you were the winning queen right?"

Participant 2
"Yes ma'am. My costume is queen Iseny - it depicts the diverse culture like Creole which is basket; Mestizo, which is the flowers; Garifuna - drums and shakas."

Monica Bodden "Now you ready to actually push this big costume all the way down to BTL Park?"

Participant 2
"Yes ma'am."

Monica Bodden
"Are you energized? Are you ready?"

Participant 2
"Long time."

Monica Bodden "What's your secret?"

Participant 2
"I don't really have any secret."

Monica Bodden
"How do you prepare for today?"

Participant 2
"I take enough rest."

Monica Bodden
"Tell me what's your name and how old are you darling?"

Participant 3
"I am Princella and I am 12 years old."

Monica Bodden "What group is this?"

Participant 3
"Jump Street Posse."

Monica Bodden
"Tell me a little bit about your costume Princella?"

Participant 3
"My costume is the garden of love and only Jump Street Posse and 12 years old Princella Samuels can show you."

Participant 4
"Mother Nature Creation. We are two peat champion and we will take 3 times - triple."

Monica Bodden
"What section is this?"

Participant 4
"This is the first group - we are the sun. That why we have the gold, orange and the red to represent the heat because there is a lot of heat today."

Monica Bodden
"So you all are ready?"

Participant 4
"More than ready."

Monica Bodden
"You think you all can keep up with it until you reach over at BTL Park?"

Participant 4
"We are more than ready. This is every year thing for us. I am in carnival from I am 8 years old - I think I am ready."

Monica Bodden
"Kevin, tell me which carnival group you are representing?"

Participant 5
"Pickstock."

Monica Bodden
"I understand you are the king. Tell me a little bit about your costume?"

Participant 5
"I am king George. I represent the battle element of the battle of St. George's Caye. My axe and paddle represent the Baymen victory. My cannon represent the bomb to blow out the Spaniard ships."

Monica Bodden
"Is this your first time in carnival?"

Participant 5
"No, four."

Monica Bodden
"This is your fourth time. Is this the first time you are pushing a king costume?"

Participant 5
"No ma'am, I always push this for 4 years."

Monica Bodden
"So 4 years straight you are king?"

Participant 5
"4 years straight."

Monica Bodden
"Well you have enough experience. Tell me what you expect out there, at a certain point you get tired?"

Participant 5
"Yes in half way of the carnival you get tired because of the heat."

Monica Bodden
"How you actually come back and boost up that energy?"

Participant 5
"I do it to make my group proud."

Monica Bodden
"How do you boost it up? Do you drink water, juice...?"

Participant 5
"I drink something sweet and just go on bad."

Monica Bodden
"You think you are ready for this?"

Participant 6
"Of course. Long time, you don't see how I look?"

Monica Bodden
"How long have you been dancing in carnival?"

Participant 6
"Many years now. From the age of 3 I am dancing in carnival."

Monica Bodden
"So this is something easy for you to push through?"

Participant 6
"Easy thing."

Monica Bodden
"Tell me a little bit about your costume?"

Participant 6
"It's sexy."

Monica Bodden
"It depicts what?"

Participant 6
"I don't know, they just gave me the costume and I wear it. But one thing - Mother Nature knows how to bring everything to the table."

Monica Bodden
"You always were dancing with Mother Nature?"

Participant 6
"No I've been in a junior band for so many years and now I am a senior now in Mother Nature."

Monica Bodden
"So now everybody can expect you to be hype up all the way to BTL Park."

Participant 6
"Listen to me, action speaks louder than words, you will see for yourself."

Monica Bodden
"Anybody you want to big up?"

Participant 6
"I want to big up my son's father Dennis Morgan, my mother and my son Dayne Morgan."

Monica Bodden
"This is a part of Mother Nature group right? Tell me a little bit about your costume? What's the name of your queen?"

Participant 7
"I am queen abondia, goddess of the harvest."

Monica Bodden
"I see this big costume. You think you could actually push this through the streets?"

Participant 7
"Yes I can."

Monica Bodden
"Tell me a little bit about it."

Participant 7
"Well I am representing all the fruits, vegetable and beautiful flowers that are abundant in Belize when bless by the rains."

Monica Bodden
"I can't even imagine how to push this thing. What you do to actually get prepared to actually do this?"

Participant 7
"Well I have the love for carnival and every Sunday we work out so I have a lot of energy for today."

Monica Bodden
"So you work out hard?"

Participant 7
"Yes."

Monica Bodden
"You are enjoying it? It's not your first time?"

Participant 7
"No, I've been dancing for many years now."

And in the end the ones who held up the best and performed the best under the pressure of crowd scrutiny and sweltering sun hot were the six winners in this year's Carnival Road March.

In the junior category Mahogany Masqueraders took first place in the road march while Pickstock Carnival band took second place and Black Pearl third.

In the senior category, Southside Masqueraders took first place - second place went to Mother Nature's Creation and third place went to Soca Warriors.

Another winner is Ernestine Carballo who, for the second year in a row, got the most played song in Carnival Road March 2011. Viewers will recall that she also won the Carnival Song Competition at the National Song Competition 10 days ago.