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Showing posts with the label costume launch

AND SO IT BEGINS AGAIN - CARNIVAL LAUNCH SEASON IN TORONTO

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 Fantazia already dreaming about  making their Caribana costumes! costume launch 2013 by Parris Visuals You know that spring is right around the corner when Wiarton Willie doesn’t see his shadow, the kid’s snowman is now a puddle and Fantazia has posted posters for their Spring 2024 costume launch! The mas band is marking its 15th annual launch on April 14th this year at the Peter N Paul Banquet Hall in Scarborough (Milner Ave). And, while band leader Will Morton says it is a little early yet to let all the details of the coming fete, in a recent talk with the Caribbean Camera he let a few things slip out including the theme of the party. “We are coming a month earlier than last year,” said band co-leader Will Morton. “We hope to be bigger than in 2023. But don’t want to say too much right now about but as the picture on our website show, it is Uncut Gemz!” “We will be announcing our sections and the gemstones that they are (using for inspiration).” And yes, diamonds in the rough wil

FRONT PAGE STORY ABOUT TRIBAL CARNIVAL AND CARNIVAL NATIONZ by sweirsweir

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Music, Dancing and Stunning Carnival Costume Fashion Show At Midnight  photo by Gilbert Median Toronto was buzzing with excitement over the weekend as two of the city’s biggest masquerade bands, Tribal Carnival and Carnival Nationz, held their highly anticipated costume launches. On Friday night, the Grand Luxe Hall was transformed into a magical wonderland as Tribal Carnival’s sold-out event with the theme “Once Upon A Time” took place. Each of the band’s 11 sections presented costumes that told a different magical story, ranging from Jab Jab to Swan Lake. The event was a massive success, with 50% of the costumes being sold on the night. On Saturday night, the Tam Heather Curling and Tennis Club in Scarborough played host to Carnival Nationz’s launch. The band has been a part of the annual Toronto Caribbean Carnival for 18 years, and this year’s theme was “Let’s Go Around the World in 100 Days.” A total of 17 sections modeled their stunning costumes, which will be worn during the Augu

PARADE COSTUMES FOR CARIBANA SEEM TO BE SHRINKING

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  Behind the Mask? Not Much. These Costumes are Sexy photos by Gilbert Medina Saturday night, Louis Saldenah, the force behind the Saldenah Carnival, unveiled his secret plans for what 5,000 or so masqueraders will wear on the road this August. Hoping for hot weather on parade day for the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, because behind those masks, there isn't much costume at all!  What a show it was, with sixteen sections showcasing models in skimpy carnival costumes in front of a packed hall at the Grand Cinnamon Banquet Hall (which holds 1,500 people). They wined, strutted, and posed until the wee hours of Sunday morning. The most in-demand DJ at carnival events this spring is a man who calls himself SKF. He kicked off the stage show late Saturday night by introducing the first section of the night, Ronny (Louis's son) Saldenah's Alter Ego.  In carnival talk, Alter Ego refers to people with split personalities or double lives. For parade purposes, the skimpy costumes are desi

NAKED IN THE STREETS THIS AUGUST?

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                 Rated R!!! Section Thinks So   by Stephen Weir It is not as though section leader Thea Jackson didn’t warn people who attended the weekend Revellers Costume launch that her section was going to be an “adults only” catwalk show. In the days leading up to the Park View Manor fete she sent social media notices saying that “When you just know you are everything I will be presenting to you the Rated R!!!! (section),” she wrote. “For 2023 my section is NOT for the weak!”   It turns out she wasn’t kidding! Picture four models snapping whips as they came onto the stage. Black and purple skimpy S&M inspired fish net costumes with black taped breasts, and small silver codpieces to keep it all legal, they put on quite the full contact performance. “The 500+ crowd went crazy when my section came out on stage,  it Is not seen in Toronto  so they loved it,” reported Jackson, “ It was well received, I think we are going to have a lot of naked people on the road this year!” The R

EPIC IS THE FIRST TO HAVE THE PASSION FOR CARNIVAL 2023

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March 31 will see an Epic costume launch.  Now that the Trinidad Carnival is over, Toronto Mas camps are getting ready to kick-off the 2023 Toronto Caribbean Carnival season. In a matter of weeks there will be late night costume launches and the opening of mas camps and pan alleys. E.P.I.C Carnival will be the first of the bands competing in this year’s summer parade to hold a costume launch. It will happen at the 400-person Grand Luxe Event Boutique on Bayview Avenue in North York on Friday March 31st.   “ Yes, we are coming out first this year and we can’t wait to kick off the season some EPIC costumes,” said Band leader Jerrol Augustine (aka “Stretch”). “Passion is the theme for 2023 and our 13 sections will tell a story of each of the designers’ passion!” The Mas Band has not yet revealed its costumes yet. However, it is already pre-registering revellers who wish to play mas with EPIC this year.  “On our website you can connect to buy $30 band launch tickets, pre-register to secure

Caribbean Carnival Photographer On Track For The 2022 Grand Parade.

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TAKING IT TO THE STREETS  By Stephen Weir  Photographer Anthony Berot is taking his art to the streets, even if it means that he and his Mas Model must be prepared to dodge cars, bikes, and bell ringing streetcars.     For the past 12-years Berot has been the official photographer of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival taking pictures of it all, costume launches to the Grand Parade. And now as of Sunday night as the last costume launch ends, Berot is posting samples of all of the 2022 costume events. Pictured above is Mas Model and NBA Dancer for the Toronto Raptors Mohogany Brown poses for Berot on Queen Street West outside of the LuLu Lounge after the end of Sunday night’s SugaCayne costume fete. The portrait was taken without flash, instead he used street lights, shop window reflections and the glare of oncoming traffic did get the trick done.   “It is SugaCayne on the road!” explained Berot. “ Mohogany is wearing  one of the beautiful designs showed earlier that night on stage at the Lu

The E.P.I,C Carnival Mas Band Launch

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The Energy in the Hall on Saturday Night?  It was E.P.I.C By Stephen Weir The E.P.I.C. Carnival Mas Band lived up to the meaning of its name – Energy. Passion. Imagination. Culture – and then some. After the two year lay-off staging a costume launch (because of Covid) came out of the gate just smoking! The Saturday night’s Costume Launch at Scarborough’s Grand Cinnamon Convention Hall was a passionate preview of what they are going to bring to the street at the Toronto Caribbean Carnival in 2022.  According to our photographer Herman Silochan there over 1,000 people at the launch to see the costumes of a dozen sections over the course of the midnight show.  The theme this year?  Energy of course. And lots of it. With section names like Pulse, Shockwave and Animale it is only natural that their costumes work the Energy theme. Lots of electric blue and fire red are worked into the costumes’ colour scheme, and like the other Bands that have launched before skimpy is the watchword (althou

It’s Carnival Costume Season

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  No Telling What Will Pop Up By Stephen Weir Photographs by Gilbert Medina   If today is Thursday and you are reading this before 9.30 pm you can totally get outfitted for the Grand Parade at a special registration Pop Up in Scarborough. Coming off a successful Costume Launch in Vaughan, the Carnival Nationz Mas Band has put together a temporary showroom in Scarborough where revelers can get up close and personal and with a roomful of very sexy costume and place orders before the Carnival frenzy begins.   Actually, at least according to Carnival Nationz’ Bryce Aguiton, the madness has already begun. “We had our Saturday night launch on the Easter weekend and the response has been amazing. The calls haven’t stopped. We thought that before we open our permanent Mas Camp we should hold a 3-Day Pop Up in Scarborough to take the pressure off the nonstop calls.”   It started Tuesday evening at the Cinnamon Ru Commercial Plaza on McNicoll Avenue. Running 6.30 to 9.30 all three nights it set

Where Covid Masks Appear To Have More Fabric Then The Ladies Costumes

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 2022 Saldenah Carnival Costume Launch   By Stephen Weir / Photographs by Herman Silochan and Gilbert Medina. Louis Saldenah, Canada’s most winning Mas Man said it before last month's Saldenah Carnival’s Streets of Fire costume launch and he is saying it now for sure.   “ I told you so! The people of Toronto are hungry, hungry, hungry for carnival and 2022 is going to be that year, ” predicted Saldenah after his launch party attracted 2,000 people hungry to  look at the costumes that will be worn on the road in this year’s Toronto Caribbean Carnival Grand Parade. “ I have always said this is going to be the best Carnival ever,” he told the Caribbean Camera. “After two years being cooped up at home without Carnival, I think everyone is saying, “Damn it, let’s just get out there (and jump up).”     Photograph by Herman Silochan  Louis’s S aldenah Car nival (formally the Mas K Club) holds the record of twenty “Band of the Year” titles for the annual Caribbean Carnival parade. Not only

Black, Gold and Green Down Lakeshore

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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 the Toronto Carnival formally known as Caribana!” “

Will there be a Toronto Caribbean Carnival parade this August 1st?

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Carnival Mas or Corona Mess?  Not a Lot of Answers in this Time of Crisis By Stephen Weir Breaking News: I received a note from the SunLime Mas Band l this evening announcing that they have postponed their previously announced March 29th virtual launch "to a later date. We will keep you updated as time goes on". We have also received a notice from the Toronto Revellers that their Saturday April 11th costume launch is being postponed until May. " Due to the current global crisis, we are postponing our band launch to a date in May (TBD)." The picture above is from the SunLime's model shoot which was held two weeks ago. Although the SunLime band has embargoed pictures and videos from that costume photo shoot, I did get permission to use this photograph (again) with the model blurred to obscure the costume. What the Mas Camps, Pan Bands and the Festival Management Committee need right now is the city’s biggest Crystal Ball. Something that will ans

Sunlime Is Liming On Line This Year

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Dwayne and Whitey (r) By Stephen Weir The Sunlime Canada mas band’s annual costume launch is coming to a computer near you.  On Sunday, March 29 th , the ever-popular medium sized band will be staging a live fashion show that can only be seen on the Internet. “ We are trying something new for Toronto, a virtual launch!” said Sunlime spokesman Niles “Whitey” Koski. “ We were going to have a standard launch party and then we decided to be strictly online.” “ We aren’t doing this because of the Virus.  I have been asked that a lot lately,” he told the Caribbean Camera. “ But no, we came up with the idea back in December.” Sunlime isn’t saying, at least not yet, where the launch will be held. The suggestion is that it will be in a hall in Toronto, where there is enough room for a large stage and professional lighting to make for good Internet viewing. DJ Toxic and MC Kevin Carrington will be the on-air ringmasters. Sunlime will also have a small live audience  - the media, d