Kiddies Parade - 2,000 in costumes while 8,000 cheered them on

THE KIDDIES PARADE - ANOTHER BIG WIN FOR THIS YEAR'S TORONTO'S CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL

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By Stephen Weir 

You could tell that everyone was pumped to cheer on the children.  A city ambulance stuck a Trinidadian flag on its hood. A Caribbean man donned a banana costumes and walked the parade route handing out bananas to the junior revellers.  Local politicians waved and cheered and parents cried for joy when they saw their kids play mas on Neilson Road in Malvern!

If you can ignore the punishingly hot sunshine and the lack of a cooling wind, Saturday’s Junior Carnival Parade and Family Day. There were over 2,000 little masqueraders wearing costumes belonging to nine competing bands. An estimated 8,000 people lined the parade route and sat in the stands to wildly clap and cheer at one of Canada’s biggest children’s costume parade.

On Saturday morning Mayor John Tory and Deputy Mayor, Michael Thompson, along with other councillors and MPPs cut a ribbon to start the 5-hour parade along McLevin Avenue in Malvern.  The parade with kids, sound trucks and hovering parents then headed north on Neilson Road to enter the judging station right on the street. The parade climaxed with an exciting Family Day event at Neilson Park, including a Junior Chief Competition sponsored by Grace Foods and a calypso performance by Adrian Duncan

Most years when the Kiddies Parade is in full speed ahead mode, DJs on the band trucks extoll the little revellers to jump up, jump up, jump up. This year with the thermometer hovering around 100 degrees F the children were told to drink up, drink up, and drink up their water.

“ We hired one ambulance to attend the parade and the city sent another two, and a cool-down bus” parade organizer Eric Delfish.  While there were a number of heated related calls along the parade route  “most of the people treated were adults!”

The parade and family day was without any significant health problems for the revellers. However one adult did have a medical problem that required him being rushed to Sunnybrook Hospital.

As the children came off the parade route they moved into Neilson Park for Caribbean food, cold treats, games and entertainment.  One of the big events was an onstage performance by Trinidad’s 16-year old four-time junior calypso monarch Aaron Duncan.

Duncan got a tremendous response from the children because right now he is a hot commodity on Netflix. Duncan's 2015 song "Can You Feel It" is featured in the Netflix film Dolphin Kick. The movie is about a boy who abandons competitive swimming after his mother dies and then bonds with a dolphin. Can You Feel It, sung by Duncan, plays midway through the movie during a scene of the boy swimming with the dolphin.

The other big event for spectators after the parade?  The Junior Chef Culinary Competition, sponsored by Grace Foods Canada Inc.  The competition provides a platform for young aspiring chefs to demonstrate their culinary skills and promote passion for healthy eating and lifestyle with their first cooking teacher their “Parents”.

The competition is aimed at spreading Caribbean Gastronomical Culture by using local products with Caribbean flavours inspired by Grace Foods.  The Caribbean Canadian Scholarship Fund provides prize money.

Last year Adrian Amsterdan who was brought back this summer to defend his title won the prize. Adrian did well but the title and $700 was won Saturday by Our 2019 winner Neraj St Ange and his Mother Misha Edwards. 

Neraj St Ange and his St. Vincent Canadian mother Misha Edwards prepared Grill Chicken in a coconut cream, Scotch Bonnet Jerk Sauce.  The side dish they made was Breadfruit salad.

Yesterday The Toronto Caribbean Carnival PR team announced this year’s winners of the Junior Parade for Band of the Year and costume awards.

Band of the Year – Jamaal Magloire’s Toronto Revellers. Band Theme: Treasure Island.

2^nd Place – Curtis Eustace’s Lil Nationz. Band Theme: Savannah 3^rd Place – Louis Saldenah’s Mas K Camp. Band Theme:  Heart Beat the Thrill of Life.

Junior Female Individual – Under 10 - SANAA JOSEPH-BRERETON, the Lil Devil – Sunlime. 2^nd Place - KHADIJAH SMITH, Music is Life – Costume Creators 3^rd Place  - SAVANNAH WRIGHT, Princess of the Sea, Toronto Revellers

Junior Male Individual – Under 10 - MARQUEE ST. LOUIS, The Lost Pirate, Toronto Revellers 2^nd  - JOANAN PRINCE CAGE DUNCAN, Look De Mas Coming, Carnival Nationz 3^rd - NYZE JOHN, Venomous Bat, Venom Carnival

 Junior Female Individual – Under 16 - JADA WHITE – Heat Wave In The City, Sunlime Canada 2^nd Place, LEILA ADORE LINO, The Rise of the Phoenix, Fantazia Carnival 3^rd Place, CHIONE REDHEAD, Monarch Butterfield, Venom Carnival

Junior Male Individual – Under 16 - AMARI BOWEN-OTCHERE, Lord Voldermort, Tribal Carnival 2^nd Place, MARQUEE ST. LOUIS. Lost Pirate, Toronto Revellers 3^rd place - JOANAN PRINCE CAGE DUNCAN, Look De Mas, Carnival Nationz

Queen - SADIE MURPHY. Burrokeet Come To Town, Carnival Nationz

2^nd Place - KAYLINDA MUPESSE – Love and Emotion, Mas K Camp
3^rd Place - MAKEDA JOSEPH-BRERETON –Carousel of Love, Sunlime

King - JALIL VINCENT RAMPERSAD – The Jester Grin - EPIC Carnival

2^nd place SKYLLER GEORGE – The Midnight Robber – The Toronto Revellers  3^rd place - ELIAS DASQUE – Heartbeat of the Itsy-Bitsy Spider – Mas K Camp