There is no better time in the summer to visit Toronto
than during the Caribbean festival in Toronto. This was my first time going to
the Caribana, so I didn’t know what to expect. I knew there was going to be
good food, lots of drinking, lots of half-naked people… in general, lots of
partying.
The Toronto Caribbean Carnival, formerly and still commonly called
Caribana
and Caribanafest, is a festival of Caribbean culture and traditions held
each year in Toronto. It is North America's largest Caribbean
festival and one of the largest in the world outside of the festival in
Trinidad and Tobago. It is the one time of the year you want to visit Toronto
or be in Toronto.
There
you will find many shows with famous and upcoming musicians and bands. The
event is spread around the city, and some shows are not even in the city. Every
day and night, there could be more than ten events happening at the same time
in ten different locations. You have to find what attracts you and go there.
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| One of the many pool parties during the festival |
We
are talking about all-inclusive boat events, pool parties, private parties,
street parties, live concerts, club parties, etc. The music at these venues are
not only centered around Caribbean music like Reggae, Calypso or Soca, but you
will find sites that only play hip-hop or Afro beats for example. This year the
festival took place from July 30, 2019, until August 5, 2019.
Make
sure you are well-rested and not as tired as I was when I landed in Toronto.
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| Ready for the festival |
I
had just spent six nights in New York City partying hard, so arriving in
Toronto to party again was hard but fun. The events are jam-packed with people
from all backgrounds and coming from different parts of the world. Traffic in
Toronto is usually insane on most days, and on this week, it could take up to
an hour at certain places to drive 2 miles. Most of the roads downtown are also
closed, so it makes it hard to drive.
Toronto
has always been a city that's loved by many Caribbeans, so you will expect good
Caribbean food all over the city during this week and even any time in Toronto.
I did not go to any of the venues that were
doing the j'ouvert that is common with many Caribbean festivals. These activities
were not done in the city center, but carried out in other neighborhoods outside
of the city. (J'ouvert is a large street party held annually as part of
Carnival in many Caribbean islands and in areas where Caribbean peoples have
immigrated).
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| The Grande Parade, which is what most people would remember, took place on Saturday, August 3 from 10 AM to 6 PM. |
