There really isn’t any other place I’d rather be during the long weekend of August than parading up and down Lakeshore to the sweet sounds of soca and smells of island food. I must say Caribana this year was the best yet for me, and I’ve been going every year since grade six. Actually I missed one a few years ago because I happened to be moving in to my apartment downtown Toronto that weekend. Believe me I wasn’t happy being stuck on the Gardiner sweating in a moving truck witnessing the parade helplessly. Caribana is such an incredible sought out and well organized event year after year. The effort that goes into the design of all the costumes is incomparable to anything else. In fact, they begin to make the costumes for next year right after the weekend ends. What makes it so special is the amount of vibrant cultures which all band together for one massive outdoor party. It’s cool, upbeat, dynamic, courageous, friendly, bold, optimistic, and there’s not one person you can find without a smile on their face all day long. Each year when I go I seem to learn more about my culture and appreciate its diversity and the qualities it instills in me. I wear my colours with pride and will always embrace that part of my culture because it brings so much to my life. Just listening to soca automatically puts me in a better mood. I have my aunt and uncle visiting from Trinidad right now and we’re having a big family get-together this coming weekend. Honestly, knowing that I’m gonna see them and hang out with the rest of my family eating curry and roti is exciting and gives me something to look forward this week for sure.
When I first started going to Caribana I really didn’t appreciate it much to tell you the truth. I mainly went because my parents forced me to. I didn’t really care for steel pan music, calypso and soca (I separate the two because they are different). But as I grew older and begun to appreciate the event for what it is and grow into my own culture and become more aware of how beautiful it is, I loved every second of it. This event has evolved into a yearly ritual between some of my friends and I. We long for this event all summer because of the togetherness it brings for us rain or shine. And for those of you out there who think it’s dangerous and unsafe and this and that, please do me a favor and get over that undeserved stereotype once and for all. Each year the crowds at Caribana are getting more and more diverse. Actually, I couldn’t believe how toned down the parade felt this past weekend. I’m not gonna lie, my fellow Caribbean masqueraders like to party wild so I think the diversity amongst the crowd really provides some balance, which is maybe why it seemed a little less crazy this year…lol! But seriously, people don’t come to this event looking to commit crime and cause harm. For one day everyone comes together to enjoy great people, family, culture, music, and damn good food. If you haven’t checked out a Caribana, I definitely encourage you to experience an incredible culture and history as well.
