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Showing posts with the label toronto caribbean carnival

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

PARANG SATURDAY NIGHT DECEMBER 2

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  Celebrate the Spirit of the Caribbean at Carnival Winter Market and Parang Extravaganza on Saturday, December 2nd Princess Trinidad “The Carnival Winter Market and Parang Extravaganza is the work of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival,” explained the newly reconfirmed President of the Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes (OCPA) Henry Gomez (aka King Cosmos). “We are providing the evening’s entertainment.” Hosted by the charismatic King Cosmos, the Parang Extravaganza features performances by some of OCPA's artists, including Caribbean Monarch Macomere Fifi, Guney Cedeno, Princess Trinidad, and DJ Red X. In addition to his MC duties, King Cosmos will also be performing during the evening. Expect a joyful sound from the singers on stage because it has been a joyful year for the Calypso organization who have seen a rebirth to performing in the city. “We held the first Calypso Monarch competition this summer since 2016,” continued Gomez, “It was a sold-out event. There was also a C

STABBINGS AT NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL WITH ZOMBIE KNIVES

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  Violence at Carnival But not at the 2023 Toronto Caribbean Carnival There is a disturbing video currently circulating throughout the British Isles, showing a white reveler attacking an unarmed black man with a machete during last weekend's Notting Hill Carnival. The London two-day festival includes a huge street parade considered to be the largest street festival in Europe and the second-largest carnival parade in the world. According to recent press reports, over 2 million people took part in the parade, but violent riots and vicious attacks plagued the festival, leaving eight people stabbed, with a 29-year-old man remaining in critical condition. There were 275 arrests across the two days of the carnival, with 165 arrests on parade Monday for a range of offenses, including possession of offensive weapons, assaults (including a sexual assault) on police officers, possession of drugs, and sexual offenses. According to the British Independent newspaper, "the Government has an

BLUE JAYS CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL!

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Putting Carnival Spice into the Toronto Blue Jays Sagging Game July 28TH   The Blue Jays are about to get a big helping of Carnival Spice this Friday night and with any luck it will give the baseball team the jolt they need to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers.July 28 th  is the Toronto team will be celebrating  the  Blue Jays  Caribbean Carnival!   With performances by Toronto Caribbean Carnival pannists, models and dancers, the fans, and perhaps the players themselves, are expected to be immersed in the pulsating rhythms and colourful spectacles of the carnival. For the second consecutive year, the Sky Dome has invited the renowned Carnival Spice, Canada's top providers of Caribbean dance and Caribbean fitness classes, to elevate the atmosphere and energize the crowd. The festivities aim to bring the essence of Caribbean culture to the baseball diamond, setting the stage for an unforgettable match against the formidable Los Angeles Dodgers. The Blue Jays have experienced a mixed sea

Black Tape Or Not this Rated R Section Will Be Turning Heads on the Parade Route

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    Black Tape Or Not this Rated R Section Will Be Turning Heads on the Parade Route By Stephen Weir The biggest question of the spring wasn't about the revealing costumes that the Rated R section will be wearing on the road at this August's Grand Parade. It was whether anyone would be brave to actually sign-up and join in. Imagine revelers confidently dancing down the Lakeshore, cracking whips. They will be adorned in black and purple S&M-inspired fishnet costumes, with optional black X tape covering their nipples and super small silver codpieces to ensure legality. Their full-contact performance will be truly captivating. "Yes, of course we sold out!" exclaimed Thea Jackson, the leader of the R-Rated section. "We received a fantastic response and actually have about 60% American participation, which I love. It's evident that those who choose to wear this costume are incredibly comfortable in their own skin and enjoy pushing boundaries. However, we also

CARNIVAL MONEY WOES TAKE TO THE AIRWAVES

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  Carnival Hopes That The Feds Are Listening. Public Safety At Stake Organizers of this year's Toronto Caribbean Carnival have their fingers and toes crossed and their ears to the ground, hoping to hear the sound of approaching government funding. They have reason to be hopeful. Early this week, the Feds announced an emergency grant of money to the country’s Pride Festivals to cover rising fixed costs. On Tuesday, Toronto Pride learned that it will be receiving money from the Federal government to cover the costs of added security measures at this year's Pride parades. The Feds is providing up to $1.5 million to Pride organizations across the country for increased security measures this year. Half of that money goes to Pride organizations in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Like Pride, the Toronto Carnival is facing a hefty increase in the cost of insurance, security, and other fixed costs this summer. However, to date, it has not received an increase in funding to pay the bil

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

WEAR A SKIMPY COSTUME AND BRING A VIDEO TOO - CARNIVAL LOOKING FOR FACE OF FESTIVAL

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  Face of the Festival (and a body too!) wanted for 2023  Just as this week’s Caribbean Camera was going to press, the Toronto Caribbean Carnival sent out a call for this year’s Face of the Festival.  The carnival is looking for a  Brand Ambassador to represent the Toronto Caribbean Carnival this summer.   “Are you the next Face of the Festival?” asked festival organizers in the first issue of their new Carnival Insider newsletter.  “ If you think you have the passion, energy, and rhythm to represent what the Toronto Caribbean Carnival is all about, we need you! Register for a chance to become the 2023 Face of the Festival.”    “If you believe carnival is LIFE and believe there is no greater joy than jamming down de road with your section, then we are looking for you. Your duties will include event appearances, event hosting, appearing in social media content, and promoting Toronto Carnival to the world!” reads the newsletter article.   In advertising for the next Face of the Festival

NEW FACES AT TORONTO'S CARNIVAL, AND A NEW NAME TOO?

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  Ajax lawyer Jennifer Hirlehey is now chair and King and Queen star Mischka Crichton is the Festival CEO.    By Stephen Weir Just  as the Caribbean Camera was readying this week's paper the Toronto Caribbean Carnival (TCC) delivered a press release announcing several key management changes. The annual festival has been without a CEO and Chair since the early Fall with the departure of last year's CEO and Chair Laverne Garcia. Ajax lawyer Jennifer Hirlehey has been appointed the Chair and last year's Fesitval Manager  Mischka Crichton has been named Chief Executive Officer (CEO).   Hirlehey is described as an established community leader who is serving in her first year as a Board member for TCC. She is quoted as saying she is “excited and proud to make a contribution to this grand tradition that has given so much to our Caribbean community and all Canadians for 56 years. I’m humbled and honoured to serve the festival’s mission in the role of Chair alongside my esteemed Bo

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

CARIBANA STAB VICTIM IS RECOVERING

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  CRIME ALONG DE CARNIVAL ROAD UNPUBLISHED STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH by a slightly crushed sweirsweir The good news about the Saturday July 30 th  parade is that no was killed during the day-long festival.  The bad news is there was a serious stabbing near the west-end of the parade route and an unconfirmed report that police also arrested a man carrying a gun. Constable Laura Brabant with the Force’s public relation department confirmed that a man had been stabbed near the intersection of British Columbia Rd and Lakeshore Blvd at the far-end of the Canadian Exhibition Grounds. The stabbing occurred at approximately 5:30 Saturday afternoon while the parade was still in progress. At the time police reported that the victim had a “serious injury” which has since been downgraded. He was rushed to hospital by ambulance officers search the area looking for the stabber. He was not found. “I can further advise that the victim’s injury is non-life-threatening in nature.” Said officer Brabant. “Ther

55 And Still Alive

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  Henry, so how do we get to hear the music? Last week the Caribbean Camera published a news story about 55 Still Alive, a Calypso song written by performing artist King Cosmos, that is meant to commemorate the 55 th  anniversary of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival. Last week the song was still being worked up and we didn’t tell readers how to hear the new music.  Bad mistake, you the readers let us know that it was unfair to hold back on the tune. Well, we hate to do this again but Calypso fans will have to wait until the end of the month.  The song drops June 1 st  on Spotify, Apple Music and all the other social media music platforms. What will you hear? The call-and-response style song pays tribute to  Canada’s largest multi-cultural festival from past to present. Composed, written and produced by King Cosmos (Henry Gomez) is all about the originators, artists, organizations and stakeholders who nurtured the festival since its inception in 1967.  Mixed and mastered by Ossie Gurley, c

Mas Camp Costume Launch Off Duty In Scarborough

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D’New Regulars will be Off-Duty Next Sunday Night By Stephen Weir    When it comes to Carnival Canada’s longest serving Mas Man, Michael Williams ( pictured below ) he is never off duty, except next Sunday. He started the D’Regulars in 1973 and now 49-years later with a slightly different name, he will be presenting a costume launch for this year’s Mas Band. Canada’s Armed Forces generals are not probably going to like what William’s troop of models are going to be wearing on stage at the Spade Bar & Lounge. But given that the D New Regulars theme is “Off Duty”, enlisted or not, Soca party people will want to jump up and jump in.   “We have five sections of which four of them tie right into military uniforms,” explained Williams. Two sections have naval themed mas costumes (think male and female white navy uniform tops and of course skimpy bottoms)and two sections based on camo army fatigues.   “I designed all of the costumes and for the fifth section I looked back into the old day

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

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!” “