Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

Costume Creators Unveil "A New Hope" for Toronto Caribbean Carnival 2024 By Stephen Weir, Photo by Anthony Berot Costume Creators Cultural Art showcased its much-anticipated "A New Hope" costume collection on Sunday, May 5th, in preparation for the upcoming Toronto Caribbean Carnival. The event, held at Mystic Resto & Lounge on Kennedy Rd South in Brampton, drew enthusiastic participants eager to join the festivities of the July 20th junior carnival parade and the August 3rd Grand Parade along the Lakeshore. The evening was a spectacle of colour and creativity as models of all ages graced the Mystic stage, showcasing this year's vibrant designs brightly coloured festival. From elaborate ensembles for adults to whimsical costumes for children, Costume Creators left no stone unturned in ensuring a memorable experience for carnival-goers. "A New Hope" received rave reviews from attendees, with many expressing admiration for Costume Creators founders W...

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 tastier.  By holding her new Freedom Mas Band costume launch on Sunday she won bragging rights to having thrown the first Band launch of Carnival 2022. She is also the first to open the doors to their camp and begin the business of making masquerade outfits. She set a couple of other milestones this weekend. Her new band is the only group that is now based in the city of Brampton. They will be proudly waving the Black, Green and Gold along Lakeshore Blvd in Toronto’s Grand Parade on 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 her day long fete ended. “We are excited to bring back the Jamaican culture to th...

Kevin and Raesha signed on for hosting duties Information is scant right now but get ready for a media dump from the FMC about the Digital 2020 Toronto Caribbean Carnival   Raesha Sirois   By Stephen Weir  When it comes to the upcoming Virtual Toronto Caribbean Carnival  MUM s is the word as far as detailed information about the event is concerned.  However the Caribbean Camera has heard through the grapevine that a deluge of information the 2020 Digital Carnival is soon to be released by the organizers of this unique online July event. We do know that the  Toronto Caribbean Carnival 2020 is getting ready to digitally jump up beginning July 3 rd  with an official City Hall Proclamation of Toronto Caribbean Carnival Month. Over the next four weeks there will be programming of Steelpan music, live Calypso performances, a virtual King and Queen competition, a Junior Parade and the Grand Parade itself. “For several nights in July there...

For one night only it was all about Soca, Mas costumes and Carnival F U N  By Stephen Weir  All photographs by Anthony Berot Sunlime mesmerized almost 500 fans of Carnival on Friday night in North Toronto.   It was almost a full house for the annual Sunlime Mas Band Costume launch. Using the theme of Mesmerize, over 70 male and female models took to the stage of Eglinton East’s   Latvian Cultural Centre with one mission in mind – Hypnotize the willing audience into joining the Mas Band!   Using colourful, bare-as-you dare costumes and contemporary dance moves, the 10 sections were successful in capturing the attention of the crowd.   Most of the costumes were sexy, no matter your size, while some, including a Rasta costume for men, was downright fun! “While most other bands lost masqueraders last year we continued to add for the third year in a row,” explained band spokesman Niles Koski. “We're expecting to continue to grow with ...