Mas Band Costumes for Groups: Deposits, Sizes, Deadlines and Drop-Outs

TL;DR

• Mas band costumes for groups are booked under the band's terms: a non-refundable deposit, a balance deadline, strict size rules and in-person collection.
• Published deposits run from about US$150 to US$600, or 20% of the price, as of October 2026. Almost all are non-refundable.
• Balance deadlines are often 4 to 10 weeks before the road. Tribe wants Trinidad 2027 costumes paid by 30 November 2026.
• Many bands don't allow size changes or transfers after you register, so get sizes right at booking and plan for drop-outs.
• Make your travelers' last payment land before the band's deadline, and collect every collection authorization before distribution week.

To book mas band costumes for a group, register the group with one band early, collect each traveler's section, size and measurements at booking, pay each costume's deposit within the band's window, and finish every balance before the band's deadline. The band's terms, not yours, decide what happens with refunds, size changes, transfers and collection, so read them for the season you're selling. SquadTrip handles the traveler side: the costume is part of the package or an add-on, the size question is on the checkout, and each traveler's payment plan ends on a date you set before the band's deadline.

This guide compares the published terms of 11 bands across 9 carnivals, then shows how to run the group side.

What Real Bands Publish: 11 Costume Policies Compared

Every figure below is from the band's own FAQ or payment policy page, checked in October 2026. Each band's season is shown in brackets. Terms change each season, so read your band's current page before you sell.

"Not stated" means the page we checked didn't cover it, not that it isn't allowed. Ask the band.

What the table tells a group organizer

• Deposits are almost never refundable. Every band above that states a refund rule says deposits are non-refundable. Treat each costume deposit as money you can't get back once paid.
• Deadlines are early, and some are staged. Tribe's balance date is more than ten weeks before Trinidad's Carnival Monday. Insane Carnival, Fuzion Mas and Pulse want staged percentages on fixed dates, so your travelers' plan has to keep pace with each stage, not just the final date.
• Sizes are locked. Harts and Saldenah say no changes to measurements or sizes, and others allow changes only for a short window or if stock allows.
• Transfers are limited. One Island Band allows a transfer with a written authorization, Fuzion Mas allows one but keeps the deposits, and ONE Mas Band runs an official resale marketplace. Saldenah and Insane Carnival say no transfers.

Which Way Should Your Group Book? A Decision Tree

Bands take group bookings in different ways. Pick the one that fits your group and the band.

• Have each traveler register in their own name if the band links collection to the registered owner's ID and you don't want to hold everyone's costume money. You collect the package price; each traveler holds their own band order. You need their order confirmations to track it.
• Register the costumes yourself if the band lets one person register several costumes and you want control of sections and deadlines. You pay the band from the money travelers pay you, so your payment plan has to finish first.
• Go through a section leader or committee member if that's how the band sells. As of October 2026, Tribe tells masqueraders to register through its Mas Camp or a Tribe committee member, and Xodus says private section registration is handled by each section leader.
• Sell a costume-free package too if some travelers already have a costume or don't want to play mas. Our guide on how to start a carnival trip business covers package models.

Collect Sizes and Sections at Booking, Not in the Group Chat

Because most bands lock sizes at registration, the size you collect from a traveler is the size the band makes.

What to ask on your checkout

Put these as registration questions on your booking page, so every traveler answers them before paying:

1. Section: which section they want, with backline, midline or frontline if the band offers them
2. Top size, bottom size and any measurement the band's size chart asks for
3. Gender of costume if the section has male and female versions
4. Add-ons the band offers, like feathered pieces or upgrades
5. Name exactly as on their ID, because collection usually needs ID

On SquadTrip these are registration form questions, answered once per traveler at checkout, so the answers sit on each booking instead of in your DMs.

Check before you submit

Send each traveler their answers to confirm before you register costumes with the band. Harts, for example, says no changing of measurements or sizes, so a typo becomes a costume that doesn't fit.

Make Payments Finish Before the Band's Deadline

The band's balance date is the date that matters. Your travelers' payment plan has to end before it.

Work back from the band's date

1. Find the band's balance deadline, or each staged date if the band uses percentages.
2. Set your travelers' last payment one to two weeks earlier.
3. Set the deposit to cover the band's deposit for each costume.
4. Split the rest into monthly payments between now and your last date.

Example: a Toronto group with a 30 June deadline

Using Saldenah's 2026 deadline as an example and made-up prices: a traveler's package is $1,200, the band wants each costume paid by 30 June, and you open deposits in January.

The last payment lands six weeks early, which leaves time to pay the band and deal with anyone who fell behind. On SquadTrip, each payment is charged automatically on its date and travelers get reminders before each one. If a card is declined, the payment retries and the traveler is asked for a new card. That buffer is what keeps one declined card from becoming a lost costume.

SquadTrip sells in US dollars, British pounds or euros, so a Toronto trip is usually priced in US dollars. If your band bills in Canadian or Trinidad dollars, build exchange-rate movement into your price.

Sell the Costume as Part of the Package, or as an Add-On

You have two clean ways to put costumes on your trip page.

• Costume in the package. "Villa room + Frontline costume" and "Villa room + Backline costume" are separate packages, each with its own price. Use this when nearly everyone is playing mas with you.
• Costume as an add-on. The package is the room and the weekend, and the costume is an add-on with its own price. Use this when only some travelers play mas with your band. Travelers pick it at checkout, it's added to their total, and you see who bought it on each booking.

Either way, you know exactly how many costumes, in which sections and sizes, you need to register. Sell each costume section at the price the band charges for it, plus your margin; our carnival calendar for 2027 shows when to open sales for each carnival.

Plan for Drop-Outs Before Anyone Drops Out

Someone always drops out. The band's rules decide what's possible, and your refund policy decides what the traveler gets back.

What the band will allow

• No transfers: Saldenah and Insane Carnival say costumes or payments can't be transferred. The costume stays the original owner's.
• Transfers with conditions: One Island Band allows a transfer to a new owner with a letter or email from the registered owner. Fuzion Mas lets you transfer a costume to a named person, but the pre-registration payment and deposits don't transfer with it.
• Official resale: ONE Mas Band refunds a fully paid costume that sells through its official resale marketplace, and doesn't recognize private resales.

What your policy should say

1. Whether the costume portion of the price is refundable once you've paid the band
2. Whether you'll try to fill the spot from your waitlist, and what the leaving traveler gets back if you do
3. That a replacement only works if the band allows a name change or transfer
4. What happens to a traveler who stops paying: how long they can be behind before their spot and costume are released

When a spot opens, offer it to your waitlist. On SquadTrip, people who missed the sell-out can join a waitlist, so you have someone ready. If you refund the leaving traveler, issue a full or partial refund from their booking. Our group trip policies guide and deposit policy guide have wording you can adapt.

Get Collection Sorted Before Distribution Week

Distribution is in person, in a set window, and uncollected costumes are usually forfeited. Saldenah says costumes not collected by the deadline remain the band's property and the down payment is forfeited, and ONE Mas Band says failure to collect without approved written arrangements means forfeiting the costume and all payments.

If you'll collect for your group:

• Find the band's method. Some use a delegate in the band's account or app; others want a signed letter plus a copy of the owner's ID, and some want the collector's ID too.
• Get every authorization before you travel. Ask each traveler to add you as their delegate, or to sign the band's authorization letter, by a date in your trip timeline. You can use e-sign on SquadTrip for your own trip terms, but use the band's own process for its authorization.
• Plan the logistics. Book a car big enough for backpieces, take a list of names and sections, and check every costume against it at the counter.
• Use the group chat for collection day. Post the time, place and what to bring, and run a quick poll for who's collecting their own.

FAQ

How much is the deposit for a mas band costume?

Most bands charge a flat, non-refundable deposit. Published examples as of October 2026 include TT$2,000 to TT$2,500 (about US$320 to US$400) at Trinidad bands Tribe, Harts and The Lost Tribe, CA$250 for Saldenah's essential and backline costumes in Toronto, £150 at ONE Mas Band in London, and a 20% initial deposit at Insane Carnival in Antigua. Always check the band's terms for your season.

When do mas bands want the costume balance paid?

Each band sets its own date. Published examples include 30 November 2026 at Tribe and 31 December 2026 at The Lost Tribe for Trinidad's February 2027 carnival, 30 June 2026 at Saldenah for Toronto's August parade, and 15 July 2026 at Insane Carnival for Antigua. Others, like Xodus and ONE Mas Band, want the balance paid before or at collection.

Can I change my costume size after registering?

Usually not. Harts and Saldenah say no changes to measurements or sizes, Saldenah allows changes only within 3 days of ordering, ONE Mas Band allowed section or design changes until 31 May 2026, and Fuzion Mas says size changes depend on stock. Collect each traveler's size and measurements carefully at booking.

Can a group leader collect costumes for the whole group?

Often yes, if each costume owner authorizes you. Bands use different methods: naming a delegate in the band's account or app, or a signed authorization letter with a copy of the owner's ID. Collect those authorizations before distribution week and check each band's rules.

What happens to a costume if someone in my group drops out?

Most bands don't refund deposits and many don't allow transfers, so the costume usually stays paid for and owned by the original masquerader. Some bands allow transfers with a written authorization or through an official resale marketplace. Your own refund policy should say what a traveler gets back if they drop out and whether you will try to resell their spot.

Final Thoughts

A group's costumes run on the band's rules: non-refundable deposits, early balance dates, locked sizes and in-person collection. Read your band's terms for the season, collect sizes and sections at booking, finish every traveler's payments before the band's deadline, and get collection authorizations sorted before you fly. Then the only thing left on the road is to play mas.

Sources

Band pages checked in October 2026; season shown for each.

• Tribe, Frequently Asked Questions (Trinidad 2027)
• The Lost Tribe, Frequently Asked Questions (Trinidad 2027)
• Harts Carnival, Mysteries Solved (Trinidad 2027)
• Aura Experience, FAQs (Crop Over 2026)
• Saldenah Carnival, Policies and FAQs (Toronto 2026)
• Xodus Carnival, FAQs (Jamaica 2027)
• ONE Mas Band, Payment Policy (last updated November 2025, for 2026)
• Insane Carnival, Antigua Carnival (Antigua 2026)
• Fuzion Mas, FAQ (St. Lucia 2026)
• One Island Band, FAQs (Miami 2026)
• Pulse Experience, Deposit and Payment Schedule (Dominica 2027)