Last weekend we had the opportunity to attend our very first “band launch” and it turned out to be a spectacular event, put on by the Toronto Revellers Mas Band. Basically a ‘mas band” is an organized group of masqueraders who take part in a street carnival of some sort, in extravagant costumes skilfully created by designers from the ‘band”. For the band launch itself, think – runway fashion show with the latest designs in costume for the season.

According to wikipedia…

Caribana is a festival of Caribbean culture and traditions held each summer in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Annually, Caribana draws hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the globe to Toronto’s lakeshore. Caribana is a Caribbean Carnival event, that has been billed as North America’s largest street festival, frequented by over 1.3 million visitors each year for the festival’s final parade.

As you arrived at the event, you were greeted by friendly security who guided you through the doors of a massive tent with the wonderful sound of soca in the back ground. We were a bit early and though they were still going through last minutes preparations, there was a wonderful vibe in the air. To the left as you walked in was the bar and food station, directly in front was a massive stage  and the far right was the dj who was responsible for that “vibe” I mentioned earlier. This was carded as an outdoor event and if you know anything about Canada in the Spring.. it’s cold. The question on our mind on the drive to the event was, “how will they pull this off being so cold?”

The massive tent was either heated or with the overall excitement and later the crowd, we were quite comfortable. This temporary venue felt very intimate, but roomy at the same time. Carded to start at 11.30 pm I believe, it was a much later when the hosts for the night finally got things going. If you arrived early as we did, you lucked out with some prime seating adjacent to the stage, with the best vantage point of the night. As I looked around as the show got started I soon realize that  a huge crowd had gathered this night, all with with a clear sign of anticipation on their minds.

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There was a very coordinated flow to the show and with the arrival of each section on stage, mixed in with the music supplied by the dj.. this event was now rocking. Still boggles my mind as to how these models in their costume and high heels navigated what seemed like a slippery surface on the runway. All to the beat of a themed song for their presentation. We had gone through all the sections… Courage, Lullaby, Heartless, Dorothy, Emerald City, Wizards Fury, Glinda & Lollipop Guild, Over the Rainbow, Ruby, Scarecrow, Weathering the Storm, Wicked & Winkie Guard, Witch of the East & Fly and Yellow Brick Road and were left wanting more. The crowd was captivated by some amazing design work, which kept to the overall theme for the most part. OZ was interpreted and created by the designers in such a way that even as a novice I could understand the logic behind the designs and what they were trying to portray.

After the show which lasted about 40 minutes, we had the opportunity to see all the costumes on the models even more upclose as they mingled with us during the after party and even took time to take pictures with you, if you so desired. By this time the volume of the music was turned up, people were dancing and having a good time, but I was on the hunt for a plate of that food which caught the attention of my senses earlier. At $5 a plate, you could not go wrong with a wonderful mix (sort of combo plate) of West Indian style Chinese food.

It was close to 2 am when we forced ourselves to leave. The party was at it’s peak at this point and we were engulfed in “vibe” which by now had reached critical levels,  but we had a long drive home.

Caribana happens every year during the Civic Holiday weekend in Ontario, Canada. The official parade date for 2011 is Saturday July 30th on Lakeshore Blvd. in Toronto.  Future dates are: 2012 – Saturday August 4 | 2013 – Saturday August 3 | 2014 – Saturday August 2 | 2015 – Saturday August 1

To learn more about Toronto Revellers or to be part of their mas presentation for Caribana 2011, you can visit their “mas Camp” at

2135 Sheppard Avenue E.
North York (Toronto), ON M2J 1W6
@ Consumers Road (Between Victoria Park and DVP)

From what we saw and experienced this night, I can only praise the Toronto Revellers group for a job well done. Your professionalism was apparent in the way you produced such a vibrant and effectively run event. The offerings for Caribana 2011 in your OZ them are beautiful and very creative. The hospitality which was extend to us is very much appreciated.

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I’d like to start off by saying thanks to Steven Weir and the media services at the Caribana offices for granting us media accreditation for the Caribana events, even though we were a bit late in applying. As a son of the soil of the Caribbean islands, Caribana and other such events are dear to me. My sister who’s also actively involved in many Caribana events as a food vendor was also there that night, so was I doing double duty as a media rep for OntarioAlive.com and assistant cook for my sister’s food stall.

We’re notorious for never being on time or organized and it was proven again here this night. As I made my way around the stadium (Allan Lamport Stadium) it was clear that none of the security or people wearing the event shirts had any clue where I should go to get my media badge. After a relentless search I was told that last year the media desk was setup at the far end of the stage. Finally I had my badge and briefed as to what the badge gave me access to.

Other small glitches that night was a somewhat late start and during the actual event, there were some issues with band leaders (king, queen etc) not going onto stage in the order they were supposed to. But if a costume is not ready, there’s not much organizers could do.

Overall a great show full of  culture and people just having a good time with friends and family as they were entertained by the mas people and the booming sounds of the Caribbean. One cannot forget the opportunity to experience the cuisine from the Caribbean and Latin American region. Besides the normal, doubles, bake and shark, roti and assortment of curry side dishes, the jerk chicken with peas and rice, one could also enjoy deep fried plantain (so good) with Spanish rice and BBQ chicken smothered in that wonderful Latin American sauce. The scent bellowing from the various food vendors was like a signal to your senses, urging you to get something to eat. Even if you just had dinner before arriving at the event.

After my camera battery died (thus the lack of more pics) and I made my way into the stands and food area it was very clear that people were having fun, even the police that were in attendance were mixing with the people and stole a minute or two to dance along to the pulsating soca music. While on the topic of police, I was also very impressed at the number of security and event staff that were everywhere giving the event a very safe and organized feel.

Here are some of the pics I was able to take before my camera batteries died on me. Yes, I did take 2 cameras, but as luck would have it they both were low on power.

People started lining up very early to sample many of the food options this night. This spot “Famous Recipe” was one of the more popular options, and from speaking with customers they all claimed that the top choice was the bake and shark and/or the bake and saltfish. For me it was the roti with curry potato and chicken. Directly across this food stall were free samples of sorrel drink… something you must try if you ever get the chance to.

I would strongly recommend that you make this event as well as the many other Caribana events a must-do on your summer to-do list. This is Toronto and Canada at it’s best and don’t feel that if you’re not from the Caribbean region you would feel excluded. Everyone were very welcoming and as I mentioned above it a good way to learn and experience some of the wonderful culture and diversity that makes us so uniquely Canadian.

For more on the 2009 Scotia Bank Toronto Caribana, you can visit the Caribana website.

For a full list of the winners at the King and Queen event, click here.

On the Thursday evening before Caribana Day the Kings and Queens of the Bands meet to do battle. Like peacocks they will primp and preen, eliciting “oohs” and “aahs” from the audience. It is an honour for any participant to be enthroned the King or Queen of Scotiabank Caribana 2009. The King and Queen symbolically have the keys to the city, freedom of the streets. Their movements are supposed to be uninhibited. Band members and onlookers alike are to give them the respect, even if mockingly, usually accorded to real-life royalty.