By Noel Walker
Visionary entrepreneur Johnny Mack has transformed the Trinidad Carnival experience through an innovative solution to one of the island’s biggest tourism challenges: severe accommodation shortages during the world-famous festival. As CEO of EPIC Carnival Experience, Mack has pioneered the first “all-inclusive floating hotel” in Trinidad during the island’s famed Carnival celebration.
The concept is brilliantly simple yet revolutionary: a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that sails on a 9-day journey from a neighboring Caribbean island, then remains docked in Port of Spain for five of those days during Carnival. Having completed its second year in March 2025, EPIC has quickly become a game-changer for Trinidad Carnival tourism.
“Trinidad only has 2,500 hotel rooms in the entire country,” Mack explained, his eyes lighting up with passion. Forty thousand to 50,000 people travel to Trinidad for Carnival, creating a critical need for an elastic lodging supply. I created EPIC not only to offer an enhanced experience but also to address an economic necessity due to insufficient accommodations.”
A Carnival Baby with Music in His Soul
Born in Trinidad on Carnival Monday morning in 1980, Mack describes himself as a “real bona fide carnival baby.” His heritage reflects Trinidad’s diverse cultural makeup—his father is first-generation Chinese-Trinidadian, and his mother was born in Morocco.
Mack’s journey took him from playing rugby for Trinidad’s national team at just 17 to attending UC Berkeley on scholarship. In the early 2000s, he began producing concerts for Caribbean artists like Sean Paul and Damian Marley in California before establishing himself in Hawaii’s music scene.
“When I did my first music festival, I was 23 years old, and I had like 4,000 people,” Mack recalls with a nostalgic smile. “From there, I started evolving music festivals in Hawaii and then on the West Coast.” By 27, he had produced a three-island music festival featuring Lauryn Hill that attracted 12,000 attendees.
His reputation in the industry continued to grow exponentially. His events would go on to showcase artists like Snoop Dogg, Cardi B, and Usher, drawing enormous crowds exceeding 35,000 people, experiences that gave him invaluable insights into creating immersive events he would later apply to EPIC.
Overcoming Industry Barriers
Creating EPIC Carnival Experience required overcoming significant hurdles, particularly convincing a major cruise line to dock in Trinidad for an extended period.
“No cruise liner wanted to come to Trinidad & Tobago because they were on a global security hazard list,” Mack revealed. “They refused to port more than one night. From 2015 until just before COVID, I kept knocking on everybody’s doors. Just before COVID, Royal Caribbean opened up and said they were willing to do this.”
The persistence paid off, but the financial commitment required was substantial. “The average cruise ship is gonna be at least $3.54 million just to charter. Then on top of that, you have insurance, which is like $50,000. Then the cruise ship also wants you to hit on-board revenue figures… that’s another $1.2 million.”
As a Caribbean promoter in an industry dominated by major corporations, Mack operates with a different approach. “We handle business with a little bit more cultural family nuances and leniencies. We live more in the gray area than in the black and white. We’re open to making things work.”
The Caribbean entertainment industry maintains its independence in ways few other sectors have managed. “In the Caribbean diaspora, someone like Vybz Kartel, Beenie Man, Capleton, or Buju will come to North America, and Live Nation will not own their tour. It will be someone from the diaspora owning the culture.”
Economic Impact and Cultural Mission
EPIC isn’t just a business venture—it’s an economic engine for Trinidad and a platform for cultural exchange that comes straight from Mack’s heart.
“Based on the last budget, we spent about $500,000 U.S. on local Trinidad production, labor, transportation, marketing—all our needs. We spent about $1.2 million buying tickets to fetes, and then the average person spent about $1,000 on their carnival costume,” the EPIC CEO details. “Let’s say 1,000 people bought carnival costumes, that’s about $1 million there immediately.”
The business model solves multiple problems simultaneously. It provides affordable accommodations when hotel prices surge and flights become prohibitively expensive.
“Flights during Trinidad carnival time are outrageous because of high demand; they have surge pricing. A flight that would have been $300/$400 is now $1,500,” Mack explains, gesturing animatedly. “For EPIC’s first year, we flew into Barbados, and for our second year, we flew into Puerto Rico. The numbers made sense. Flying into Puerto Rico from anywhere along the East Coast is like a $300 round-trip. We’re saving everyone at least $800-$1,000 on flights.”
The carnival entrepreneur continues, “The average hotel room in Port of Spain during Carnival per night is about $800 U.S., which is crazy. When I priced what it cost for one of the lower-tier rooms on EPIC, it’s about $400 U.S. a night, which to me is a steal when you’re getting food, drinks, and events.”
Trinidad’s Unique Economic Landscape
Unlike many of its Caribbean neighbors, Trinidad’s economy isn’t built on tourism—a fact Mack explains with the insight of someone who truly understands his homeland.
“Trinidad is not built on tourism like Jamaica, Barbados, and these other islands. We’re built on natural gas and oil, and resources,” Mack explains with pride. “We have something called the Pitch Lake. It’s a never-ending asphalt lake; we have a never-ending supply of it. So we’ve never built infrastructure.”
This resource-rich economic foundation explains the country’s limited hospitality infrastructure. “It makes no sense to build a new hotel, but it did make sense to bring a cruise ship that could come in and be a viable opportunity for Trinidad.”
Future Growth and Vision
The venture’s rapid growth is evident in its early ticket sales for the upcoming February 11-20, 2026 voyage.
“Right now, for the upcoming year three, we’ve sold 426 cabins, which we weren’t even able to launch this early for year two. We’re already halfway to our goal mark in March/April—one month since we launched EPIC this year,” notes the founder, excitement evident in his voice.
For Mack, this venture represents just the beginning of a larger vision that connects deeply to his personal story. “This is just the first step. I’m building an empire and a legacy where I can export my culture and share it with the world,” he declares. “The goal of EPIC is to expose pop America, pop Europe, to our culture, and make them feel at one with us.”
His ambitions extend beyond personal success to creating opportunities for his community. “Growing up in the Caribbean, we didn’t learn about 401(k) plans, life insurance, or having a trust for kids. Everything we have, we had to build ourselves. If I could help my community have a leg up, I want to do that for my family, and Trinidad.”
As our interview concludes, Mack’s phone rings with the distinct sound of soca music—a fitting reminder of the rhythm that drives both the man and his mission. “Carnival isn’t just an event for us—it’s who we are. And now, we’ve found a way to share that with the world.”
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