By Lionel Gayle
It is no longer called Caribana, but don’t expect major changes when the world-renowned Caribbean festival kicks off its annual three-week run July 12.
Even with a new name on its 44th anniversary, it remains North America’s grandest summer fete. But Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival Toronto (SCCT) is a helluva mouthful for the name of a merrymaking event. Still, that shouldn’t be a deterrent to the thousands of revellers who are expected to converge on Toronto for the cultural explosion. (http://www.thestar.com/news/article/996630--caribana-unveils-its-new-name?bn=1).
And even though, in May 2011, an Ontario Superior Court forbade the five-year-old Festival Management Committee (FMC) to use the old name, I believe people will still call the event Caribana. And as time goes by you’ll probably hear “Scotia Carnival,” “Toronto Carnival,” “Scotiabank Festival” or some other easy-sounding variations.
However, the Caribana Arts Group (CAG) – former organizer of the event – whom the court had declared the rightful owner of the Caribana trademark seems very unhappy with the name-change which it calls “a theft.” It has expressed its intention to reclaim control of the festival under the Caribana banner. (http://www.sharenews.com/local-news/2011/05/26/fmc-renames-caribana-festival-amid-controversy).
Looking back over the years, it seemed that long ago Caribana had evolved beyond the manageability of CAG’s predecessor, the Caribbean Cultural Committee (CCC) who started the festival in 1967. In fact, in the past the CCC had been severely criticized and accused of mismanaging the festival, even by members of its own community.
So for whatever reason, the City of Toronto and the Ontario government yanked their Caribana funding in 2006, it’s of little importance now. But at the time of the drastic action the CCC was blamed for its consistent failure “to produce adequate financial statements.”
Despite the controversy, the SCCT office said on June 1 that everything was in place for the official launch of the carnival on July 12, at Metro Hall, downtown Toronto.
If you are going to the Caribbean Carnival for the first time, take note that the Grand Parade is the showcase of the three-week revelry. It is scheduled for Saturday, July 30, along Lakeshore Blvd., a short distance from the edge of Lake Ontario.
It starts about mid-morning at the nearby Exhibition Place where several mas’ bands, some with hundreds of participants, will dance up a storm in front of a panel of judges and a paid audience. Then one-by-one, each group will trek out of the stadium onto Lakeshore Blvd. and head west on a 3.5-kilometre journey that ends at a designated dispersal point.
As the procession moves along the route, the sounds of calypso, soca, reggae, and a few other popular music beats will blare from speaker boxes atop elaborate floats – some with live performers. Observe the scantily clad mas players in their splendiferous costumes as they gyrate suggestively in front and alongside the slow-moving floats.
Perhaps as many as one million revellers from all walks of life will stand behind metal bars, along the parade route, to witness the spectacular display of the multi-ethnic Caribbean culture. Don’t hesitate to join the excitement. Jump and shout; get “something and wave” – a rag or a flag.
If it rains on the parade, the intermittent showers won’t dampen the spirits of masqueraders and onlookers, but the blazing sun can be brutal. However, there are tons of remedies close by – neatly placed stalls and kiosks sell anything from bottled water to a wide variety of ethnic foods, as well as lots of exotic arts and crafts items.
This link will give you a list of some necessary items that you should take to the Carnival Parade. (http://www.torontocaribbeancarnival.com/pagedisplay.aspx?i=239).
