Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

--> Superstar Machel Montano performing at a rare afternoon costume launch. Machel Montano on College Street By Stephen Weir    The Atlantic Mas camp, with the help of Soca superstar singer Machel Montano, has saved the best for last!   Bandleader Akil Heywood says that their third annual costume launch will be held at the Rebel Nightclub (Polson Pier) the afternoon of May 19 th . “Not everyone wants to stay up until 3am in the morning at a costume launch.   We are holding a launch in the afternoon, with Machel Montano performing on stage at the Rebel nightclub. The Rebel nightclub is one of Toronto’s largest and most popular concert destinations,” said Mr. Heywood. “We are calling the launch an ‘Invitation to Dance’ with a theme we call Semba,” he continued.   “ It is the Victoria Day long weekend, the perfect way to spend holiday Saturday.” Getting the Trinidad based performer known as the Soca King, to perform at a costume launch is no mean feat. Mac

It is Costume Launch Season GO BIG AND GO HOME WITH BIG COSTUME By Stephen Weir for Caribbean Camera For the next six weeks, followers of carnival in Toronto are going to be staying up late, hear ear blasting new road songs and getting dazzled by the latest masquerade fashion statements. The Mas Camp Costume Launch season begins this Saturday night when Venom Mas unveils all the costumes that their camp members will be wearing on the street this summer for the 51st Toronto Caribbean Carnival parade. The Canadian Mas camps design and build themed costumes that will be worn in the parade here in Toronto and at carnivals around the world. The costume launches give people the first chance to see and buy costumes. This year the Mas camps are saying that Toronto’s interest in the 2018 launches is “intense” and “almost boiling over” - more people want to participate in the Toronto parade than ever before.” “ I think it is an issue of safety – Toronto’s parade continues to

Carnival Themed Fete At the Art Gallery Of Ontario Attracts Hundreds and Hundreds Rhoma in costume at the AGO - photo by Craigg Slowly By Stephen Weir for Caribbean Camera Rhoma Spencer, Macomere Fifi, traditional costumed carnival performers and dancer Jasmyn Fyffe took the AGO by storm last Thursday night as part of the art gallery's First Thursday fete. The theme last night was Carnival, and thousands crammed into the Toronto public gallery to jump up. Rhoma Spencer, a well-known Trinidadian Canadian actor and producer, recreated the custom of Viey la Cou (The Old Yard), where traditional Mas was performed over two centuries ago. The characters that she brought to the Dundas St W building were larger than life. There was Dame Lorraine, a Trinidadian mas character of the 18th century, was known for love of dance and shakes it up in a big way with huge padded breasts and an equally large padded butt. Pictured with the Dame is Rhoma Spencer dressed as the Midnigh

Feature story by Stephen Weir in today's Caribbean Camera Shake it? Rhoma Spencer is going to Rock, Dazzle And Amaze downtown millennials at the Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario bills its February evening millennial bash as Shake It. But, actress playwright Rhoma Spencer plans to take it up a notch, dazzling, rocking and ‘Carnivalizing” hundreds of downtown hipsters who will be taking in the First Thursday party this February 1st, from 7-11:30pm. Shake It is a unique programme meant to attract new (and younger) audiences to the downtown Toronto art institution. Shake It looks at traditional in a contemporary way, and as always through the eyes of the artist,” reports the art gallery about next month’s event. “ We will be honouring the season, history of Carnival.”  Rhoma Spencer Headlining the event will be Rhoma Spencer, Macomere Fifi, traditional costumed carnival performers, dancer Jasmyn Fyffe and New York artist and DJ Juliana Huxtable. She is

  . But a Toronto Summer is always Hot, Hot, Hot. Jump Up. Jump Up. In the land of  snow   (feature article for WinTV's inflight magazine - Trinidad)  Playing Mas in downtown Toronto - photograph by Andrew Weir In Canada, carnival is done differently. In Trinidad, you might even call it backwards. But hey, if you can get a million people to jump up, you gotta be doing something right. At Carnival in Trinidad, everyone plays Mas in the street.  The players out-number the people watching by a long shot.  In Toronto?  There are million people cheering on the 16,000 people playing Mas along the city’s waterfront! The Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival is getting ready to hit the streets of Toronto, this August 4th.  This is the 45 th year for the festival formally known as Caribana, and not only is going to be bigger, it is going to be better. The Toronto festival runs for three weeks and attracts over a million people from Ontario, the United States and