The largest Caribbean cultural festival in North America doesn’t take place in Miami or even along Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway. Believe it or not, it’s actually held much further north than either of those two U.S. cities in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Each August more than 1 million revelers assemble to tramp, wine and jump to soca, calypso, dancehall and other sounds originating from the much warmer climes of the Caribbean archipelago of island nations.
Toronto is an incredibly diverse city and that diversity is put on display to its fullest extent during Caribana. This year marks the 46th anniversary of the event which runs for three weeks starting July 17th, with the official kick-off of the festival and then culminates with parade weekend activities running August 2nd – 5th. The parade itself on Saturday August 4th is the highlight of the festival and this year it is officially titled the Scotiabank Caribana Parade in deference to its primary sponsor. Over 10,000 masquerades will participate donning elaborate costumes while they strut, prance and dance to the undulating Caribbean riddims and vibes of Mas Bands and sound systems.
For more information about the 2012 Caribana Festival log on to www.caribanatoronto.com
