Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

  E.P.I.C. Carnival Gears Up for an Epic April 25th Costume Launch By Stephen Weir While many local Carnival aficionados are in Trinidad celebrating Carnival, others have stayed behind in Toronto to prepare for what promises to be an epic event on April 25th. E.P.I.C. Carnival, a medium-sized mas band, is celebrating its tenth year participating in Toronto’s Caribbean Carnival and is getting ready to show their stuff. The acronym "E.P.I.C." stands for Energy, Passion, Imagination, and Culture. Jerrol Augustine, also known as "Stretch," is the bandleader of E.P.I.C. Carnival. He recently announced the theme for this year’s presentation and confirmed April 25th as the official date for its costume launch. Each year, the band unveils a new theme for the carnival. In 2024, their theme was "Imagination," featuring sections such as Grenadus, Ethereal, Day Dream, Aquaria, and Wild Thoughts. This year, according to Stretch’s Instagram account, the 2025 theme is “...

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...

  Carnival Nationz Saturday Night Launch by Stephen Weir Photos by Gilbert Medina They won last year. Can they do it again? Judging by last Saturday night’s costume launch, Carnival Nationz has a good shot at the Band of the Year title when they hit the road at the August 3rd 2024 Grande Parade. Band leader Curtis Eustace told the Caribbean Camera that about 1,000 people came out to the Tam Heather Curling Club to watch the late-night costume show. To say that the presentation was out of this world is not far from the truth – the theme this year is The Metaverse. No worries, while computers and AI make up the metaverse, the models on stage at the launch looked very human in their brand new skimpy costumes. With the carnival’s perennial launch host SKF and CHUM FM morning host Jamar egging on the crowd to scream, the section models kept the hall rocking till almost 3 am as they danced down the catwalk nonstop. This year, Carnival Nationz will have 11 sections on the road during the ...

Louis Saldana’s One Two Grand Parade Costume Punch by Stephen Weir Early last week, Louis Saldenah promised the Caribbean Camera that he was planning to put on a “HUGE Launch Party” on Saturday night. When the doors opened at his 2024 costume launch at the Grand Cinnamon Banquet & Convention Hall in Scarborough, it was obvious he had kept his word (and then some). SECTION TAKE A BOW AT SATURDAY'S COSTUME “We had approximately 1,100 people attend our costume launch last Saturday night,” Saldenah told the Caribbean Camera. And Saldenah hasn’t stopped thinking big. Tonight (Thursday), Part Two hits the boards with the official opening of the Saldenah Mas Camp in Scarborough. This year, Saldenah Carnival has over 15 sections, and most had males and females showing their stuff at Saturday night’s event. The theme for the evening was Sky High, so it was fitting that the models who came flying were, for the most part, bedecked in colourful feathers. KING COSMOS ON STAGE (RIGHT) There...

  On de Road Again! But first a Mammoth Launch SALDENAH ON THE ROAD IN 2023 He is the man. And when Louis Saldenah says he is planning a huge launch party, you better believe it is going to be one of the largest carnival events this spring. The leader of SALDENAH CARNIVAL, the largest mas band in the annual Caribbean Carnival, has just announced that his 2024 costume launch will take place Saturday, April 20th, at the Grand Cinnamon Banquet & Convention Hall in Scarborough. “Even after Covid, over 5,000 people came out and played Mas with us. Our numbers continue to be in that range,” Louis Saldenah told the Caribbean Camera. “So we are expecting a large turnout for the Saturday night event. (The hall can be configured to accommodate over 2,000)” This year, Saldenah Carnival will have 16 sections, and at the April launch, each section will have 5 dancers/models on stage showing what they will be wearing at the Grand Parade.. We jokingly asked Saldenah if this year’s theme, "Fl...

 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 ...

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...

  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 de...

                 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...

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...

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 ear...

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 sk...

  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 t...