Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

                                                T h e Parade Is A Go In 2022   Jamaal’s Revellers the First Band To Announce Launch   By Stephen Weir   Dust off your pans, tune up your singing voice, break out your costume. It is going to happen (probably).    Laverne Garcia the chair of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival confirmed to the Caribbean Camera that it is full speed ahead for the 55 th Toronto Caribbean Carnival's Grand Parade on July 31 st along the Lakeshore.  It was probably the worst kept secret at City Hall. The major events in the city from Pride to the Toronto Film Festival have all been given permission by Toronto and the Province to stage their annual events -- provided of course that Canada does not get hit by another wave of Covid.    “We will ensure compliance with all public health and safety precautions as the safety and health of the community is our top priority,” Garcia confirmed to the media last week. “This year marks our 55th Emerald Anniversary,

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

It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This By Stephen Weir The stars glittering above were most certainly aligned.  There will never be a Caribana King and Queen Competition as good as what happened last Thursday night at Lamport Stadium. What do we mean? In point form here’s why it was an event for the carnival history books. Clear warm skies. No wind. A stadium filled to capacity with hard-core fans of the carnival arts. Drama. Pageantry. And, two big surprises at the podium. According to Weather Canada, when the gates opened at the downtown soccer stadium, it was a sunny cloudless 25 degrees Celsius. When the contest ended just before midnight it was 20 degrees Celsius – just the right temperature to cool down an estimated audience of 10,000 as they streamed out of Lamport. Most of the crowd left the open-air stadium long before the winning announcements were made. Those that did stay greeted the names of the new King and Queen with loud gasps and then applause. Judges  d

Cosmic Fusion takes a bow - photo by Stephen Weir Jamaal Magloire and the Revellers holding part two of their costume l aunch this Sunday By Stephen Weir for the Caribbean Camer a The show is over ... for now. Early early this past Sunday morning the doors closed at the York Mills Gallery banquet hall where over 600 people had taken in the long anticipated Toronto Revellers Band Costume Launch, Part One. Unfortunately it was an unexpected shortened show with only six of their ten sections performing. The remaining four sections are expected to be presented – in part or in whole -- this Sunday evening in Scarborough at the opening of the Revellers’ mas camp. At the York Mills Gallery launch band leader Jamaal Magloire introduced this year's carnival costumes, all inspired by the theme Extinction: Love Our Planet. Helping the NBA star out on stage was Miami carnival personality D'Wassi One and Trinidad champion mas designer and singer Ronnie Mc Into