Caribana

Originally Published on the former American Airlines BlackAtlas.com

on November 12, 2011

I just got the news that I’ll be going to Trinidad & Tobago for Carnival in February as a guest of the Trinidad and Tobago Travel & Tourism Board and I couldn’t be happier! *Praticing my whine* As an American of Caribbean descent, I’m always excited about visiting different islands in the Caribbean because, contrary to what some might think, every island has its own unique flavor. Earlier this year, I had an opportunity to experience a slew of Caribbean flavors at Caribana, the biggest Caribbean carnival in North America with over 20,000 participants and 1,000,000 spectators. Caribana (now known formally as Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival) takes over the streets and venues of the marvelously multicultural Toronto, Canada for several weeks every July and that’s no surprise considering 30% of Canada's black population is of Jamaican origin alone, and a further 32% are from other Caribbean nations. [And you can thank Wiki for the stats.]

Although I was invited to play mas with Mas Toronto and the Toronto Revellers, I ultimately decided to play photographer instead so that I could catch the entire Caribana vibe. During a chat at World Travel Market London last week with Oneika, a fellow travelista who got her whine on at Caribana and is a Canadian of Jamaican descent, she agreed. “If it’s your first time at Caribana,” she said “you’ll want to capture the entire experience and not be limited to your mas band although playing mas is loads of fun.” And just so I could be as close to the action as possible, my husband and I booked our three-night stay at the Fairmont Royal York hotel. You can read more about that on MyBlogalicious.

On our first night, we strolled the waterfront at Harbourfront Centre, listened to live music right there on the waterfront, and ate Caribbean food at the International Marketplace. The next day we took a side trip to Niagara Falls (which shares the Ontario/US border), to Niagara-on-the-Lake (which is a beautiful little town in Ontario and the original home to some of Canada’s indigenous peoples), and to Pillitteri Estates Winery (the world’s largest estate producer of ice wine where I had my first - and not my last - taste of delicious wine from frozen grapes). We also shopped at the nearby Eaton Centre. And then there was Caribana, my reason for being there.

On the day of the parade, we woke up early and found our way on foot to the VIP section along the Lake Shore parade route. VIP = chairs on a grassy incline behind the parade route fence next to the judges booth (the best part because that’s where the mas bands all stopped to perform) and complimentary Caribbean food and drinks. We saw girls dressed in their beautifully skimpy and delightfully themed carnival costumes, putting the finishing touches on their makeup as they exited taxicabs and made their way slowly to gather with their fellow revellers. We waited patiently for the show to begin and when it did: Wow.

You could hear them before you saw them. The music was LOUD and electrifying. I was so excited in those first few moments of my first Caribana that I cried tears of joy. (Yeah, I know, I know.) And then I saw them. Waves of brilliantly colored costumes of every shade with feathers and sequins and rhinestones and such. Months and months of mas band preparation led to this moment and it was theatrical, breathtaking and simply awesome. Revellers from all cultural background and in all shapes and sizes partying in the heat of the day like there was no tomorrow. Shaking their booties, exposing the flesh of their breasts, and strutting like peacocks…and all for us…or, hey, maybe it was just for them. Women and children in costumes bigger than a small house pushing their magnificently designed costumes on wheels in a circle in front of the judges. The crowd dancing and yelling and waving to their friends along the route. The boom, boom, BOOM of the soca music from enormous speakers the size of full-sized refrigerators being pulled on trailers. Old, young and in between. I felt like a little girl again, face pressed up to the same chain link fence my fingers were clenched through, waiting for the next wave of beauty to show up. Even I danced and shouted through the fence as if I didn’t have a care in the world. And you know what? I didn’t.

To check out my photos of Caribana, please click here.

And if you've always wanted to go to Caribana and haven't...just go.