Saturday brought music, dancing and an excitement of color to Lake Shore Avenue and Exhibition Place as the Caribbean Carnival Grande Parade made its triumphant return to Toronto.
The parade is celebrating its 55th anniversary after the pandemic forced the cancellation of both 2020 and 2021. According to the event’s website, “the Caribbean tradition of parading through the streets was founded in honor of freedom and emancipation from slavery.”
It’s part of a weekend of festivities celebrating pan-Caribbean culture, culminating in today’s parade, which is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of spectators.
“I feel excited, I feel excited,” said Shankoa Christopher, one of the attendees. He said he had waited a long time for the event and was looking forward to touching his culture.
“We haven’t been able to do it that long,” he said.
Chansois Christopher says he has been waiting a long time for the event and is looking forward to experiencing his culture. (Michael Charles Cole/Radio-Canada)
Throughout the weekend, fans also had the opportunity to see the King and Queen Showcase and the Pan Alive steelpan competition at Lamport Stadium, as well as over a hundred official and unofficial Caribbean events
“It’s freedom, fun, family. This is our foundation,” said Kateri De Souza, a section leader of the Toronto Revellers, one of the grassroots groups participating in the parade.
“It feels unreal. I’m having chills”
Thousands lined the parade route, including Toronto Mayor John Tory and federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.
“Carnival has a really special place in the hearts of a lot of Canadians and Torontonians,” said Singh, who said he was excited about “jumping,” a form of dance that takes place at Carnival.
“We’re better when we come together,” Singh said.
“Carnival has a really special place in the hearts of many Canadians and Torontonians,” said federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who attended the Grand Parade. (Michael Charles Cole/Radio-Canada)
Event organizers say they expect more than 10,000 revelers to walk and dance the 3km stretch. It ends at Exhibition Place, where participants have a chance to dance on a large stage set up at the end of the parade route.
Tiffany James, who is from Trinidad, has always wanted to be in the parade.
“Carnival is a big part of the culture,” she said.
James and her friend Elizabeth Jones woke up at 5am to prepare their costumes. Jones said he expects the event to be “pretty wild” after two years of being closed due to the pandemic.
Both Jones and James are also part of the Toronto Revellers.
Elizabeth Jones, left, and Tiffany James, right, are part of the Toronto Revellers, one of the grassroots groups participating in the parade. (Michael Charles Cole/Radio-Canada)
The parade will continue until 8pm on Saturday night.
The festival continues throughout the weekend and ends on August 1, a date known to many as Emancipation Day. It is celebrated in many Caribbean nations as the day slavery was abolished in 1834 in the British Commonwealth, including Canada.
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