Toronto Caribana

Toronto Caribana (Toronto Caribbean Carnival)

Summer; varies

Since 1967, Toronto, Canada, has hosted a multi-week summer festival called Caribana, also known as the Toronto Caribbean Carnival . The festival was originally created as a community heritage project for Canada's Centennial year. It is the largest Caribbean festival in North America, bringing in more than one million people each year.
Caribana is a Trinidad-style carnival that includes music, dance, food, and costumes from Jamaica, Guyana, the Bahamas, Brazil, and other cultures represented in Toronto. The main event of the festival is the mile-long Caribana Parade, which is one of the largest in North America. The parade participants dress in brilliant costumes, and dozens of trucks fill the parade route all day, carrying artists giving live performances in soca, calypso, steel pan, reggae, and salsa.
In addition to the parade, main events include a two-day Olympic Island Caribbean Arts Festival, a calypso competition, a Caribana king and queen pageant, parties, Caribbean food, outdoor concerts, music, and dance. These events are intended to celebrate the community's heritage and culture.
This festival is similar to Calgary's annual Carifest celebration.

CONTACTS:
Festival Management Committee
1470 Don Mills Rd., Ste. 305
Toronto, ON M3B 2X9 Canada
www.caribanafestival.com
Caribana (Tourist Info)
4-2880 Queen St. E., Ste. 123
Brampton, ON L6S 6H4 Canada
www.caribanatoronto.com