TAN – The Afro News

Luis Mario Ochoa Afro-Latin music in the New World.

By michelle-lee

The City of Toronto is bursting with festivals and “happenings” taking place all through the summer months.  Along with the largest event of its kind in Canada, “Scotiabank Caribana”, music is front and center throughout the city and surrounding suburbs. Read the full story

Caribana Toronto Excitement Building For This Year’s Event

Toronto’s Scotiabank Caribana unveiled its 2010 lineup at the Royal Ontario Museum. The upcoming festival promises to be bigger and better than ever. Festivities include:

• Calypso Tents Music Series to be held in various locations every weekend in June

• July 13th: The official launch at Yonge-Dundas Square

• July 17th: Junior carnival parade along Shoreham Drive to Yorkgate Mall

• July 23rd: 3rd Annual Black Tie Gala

• July 24th: Kaiso 365 – Calypso Monarch Finals

• July 29th:King and Queen competitions

• July 30th: Pan Alice – Lamport Stadium

• July 31st: Caribana Parade

• Aug. 1st: De Scotiabank Caribana Lime to be held at Ontario Place

• Grace Tropical Rhythms Food Festival – this is a new addition for this year

• ROM will hold a juried show of African-Canadian art

• The Ontario Science Centre will host an exhibition on the science and technology behind Caribana costumes and steel pan.

Reportedly Caribana injected $438 million into Ontario’s economy. Of the 1.2 million people who attended last year’s festival, 170,000 came from the U.S. and 130,000 from overseas. Caribana now leads all other cultural events in Toronto including the Toronto International Film Festival, Pride Week and Luminato. But the festival hasn’t been without struggle. After years of infighting and lack of accounting which resulted in the City of Toronto withdrawing its funding, the future of the event was in doubt. When retired Toronto beaureacrat Joe Halstead stepped in to lead the organization’s committee, Caribana had no corporate sponsors and its reputation was in tatters. Halstead brought in transparency and revised the festival’s brand. Scotiabank signed on along with media sponsors. The parade, which had had many incidents of violence, was enhanced by the installation of security camera along the route and alliances with venues such as the ROM and the Ontario Science Centre were established. All of the hard work is paying off and now Toronto’s Black and Caribbean population can be proud of the city’s top tourist attraction as they look forward to Scotiabank Caribana 2010.