Black, Gold and Green down Lakeshore

Brampton debut for the Freedom 

Mas Band of the Toronto Carnival

By Stephen Weir. Pictures by Des Photography

This early bird didn’t get any worms, Johanna Grant, got something significantly better.  By holding her new Freedom Mas Band costume launch on Sunday she won bragging rights to being the first Band to hold a launch for Carnival 2022 and also the first band to open their Mas Camp doors and start making masquerade outfits.

She set a couple of other milestones on the weekend. Her new band is the only group that will be based in the city of Brampton, and proudly waving the Black, Green and Gold down Lakeshore Blvd in Toronto's Grand Parade on Saturday July 30 th.

“After a 16 years hiatus, the Jamaican Band is back, fully equipped with costumes to give revellers the full carnival experience,” said Johanna Grant shortly after the day long fete ended. “ We are excited to bring back the Jamaican culture to the Toronto Carnival formally known as Caribana!”

“Honest, one of the reasons I decide to get into this (the Carnival business) was because my children have never seen our (Jamician) Flag in the parade,” she told the Caribbean Camera. “ God willing it will happen this summer.”

The Hamilton Nurse first decided to enter a band in the annual summer festival back in 2021.  She found a rental space in  northeast Brampton for her Mas Camp and decided to keep the space even after Covid restrictions shutdown the parade. Grant will be operating the camp on a year-round basis.

The building is on Advance Boulevard near Dixie Rd and Highway 407 in Brampton.  “ It is just minutes from the airport which is perfect for people coming in from the Caribbean and the US for carnival,” she said.  As well there is a large Caribbean community in Brampton who this year won’t have to drive into Toronto to get their carnival costumes.

And Ohh la La, Grant’s outfits were worth driving to see no matter where one came from.  It looked like a sea of gold and green feathers as the models came down a wide staircase onto the stage inside Gateway Blvd’s Chandi Banquet Hall.

It was an eight-hour tease for those that wanted to see all the costumes, watch the Pan Angels orchestra perform and be entertained by MC Kevin Carrington. Starting at 11 am an estimated crowd of 300 took in the revolving fete, The theme for Freedom Mas this year is Genesis, fitting for a band in its inaugural year.  

With the camp already open, Grant has hit the ground running. Her big challenge is to get the word out that people are jumping up in Brampton. She is hoping that Jamaicans will make the trek north but warns that people in the Caribbean have to be mindful of the red tape that they might face to get the proper paperwork to come to Canada this summer.

Johanna Grant who has played mas with Tribal, Carnival Nationz and The Revellers is mindful that the other bands that will be having their own launches in the weeks to come.  She wants to play nice within the community and waits to see everyone’s schedules before throwing a Blocko or two before the August 1^st Carnival weekend is here.

March 24 Caribbean Camera

Toronto

article by Stephen Weir