Caribana in Canada

2020, the year that carnival season did NOT exist.

We all had high hopes to get our “jump and wave” on this year. Whether, you were going to Caribana, Cropover, or any other Carribean festival to play Mas or just have a good time palancing in the streets. As someone whose parents are from the Carribean, it is only right that I partake in the masquerade culture.

Back in 2014, I went to Caribana in Toronto, Canada. My mom’s sister lives in downtown Toronto. Of course, I made it into a week long of celebrating my 27th birthday and mini family reunion. The beauty of my aunt living near Lakeshore Blvd is that you can walk to the festival from her house or take the trolly. Lakeshore Blvd is the equivalent to Eastern Parkway in Brookyln. This is where all the action happens the day of the grand parade.

History

Caribana has been run annually since 1967, first performed as a gift from Canada's Caribbean community, as a tribute to Canada's Centennial. The Canadian government invited ethno-cultural groups to contribute celebrations with representations of their ethnic diversity. The name Caribana was invented by the organizers to capture the notions of Canada, the Caribbean, bacchanal and merrymaking. The Toronto Caribbean Carnival, formerly and previously called Caribana (1967-2006), is a festival of Caribbean culture and traditions held each summer in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the last week of July going into the first week of August.

How To Plan?

A list of events happen leading up to the parade such as "fêtes" (festivals),  J'ouvert (Pronounced "Jou-vay"), Calypso March, King and Queen showcase, and the Junior Parade for the kids.

We paid for a package deal which included Caribana activities, parties, and our 3-4 nights at the Marriot Downtown ar CF Toronto Eaton Centre. This location was great because all of the events were walking distance from the hotel. Nathan Square Park is also another touristy area which is across the street from the hotel.

The costumes were NOT apart of this package deal at that time, but we had a friend that knew how to go about getting our costumes. Picking up the costumes was an experience within itself. We had to go to a warehouse and wait on line all day for them. Sometimes the costumes are still being made because of transportation issues with the feathers..etc. Times have changed and it may be different now on how they do it. It depends on what band you play with. For more information on package deals and mas bands, click this link: https://www.caribanatoronto.com/