Caribana celebrates 43rd anniversary
Posted July 31, 2010 11:45 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – Thousands of tourists gathered at the waterfront in Toronto for the Caribana Festival Saturday.
This is the 43rd anniversary of the Caribbean inspired festival and it has grown largely since its start, making it North America’s largest cultural festival.
Bringing in roughly $350-million, the celebration included 50 bands, thousands of masqueraders, its signature parade, the Scotiabank Caribana Parade, and a wide array of food such as chicken, roti, and palori.
But Charles Roach, who helped organized the original Caribana festival, said when when the celebration first kicked off on Bloor St. in 1967, there wasn’t nearly as many activities or participants.
“It was not very large at all, there were maybe about four or five bands. I doubt there was more than a couple of hundred masqueraders,” he said.
This year’s festival will also feature live music, insightful art displays and theatrical performances that showcase Caribbean inspired life.
Festivities started at 10am, Saturday and carried well into the evening. Lakeshore Boulevard is expected to re-open to traffic by Sunday morning.
Click here for more information on the festival.
