Toronto Caribbean Carnival, formerly known as caribbean, celebrated it the 55th anniversary during the period from 28 to 30 July 2022 in a joyful manner after two years of pandemic restrictions.
The first Toronto Carnival was the Caribbean community’s offering to celebrate Canada’s centennial in 1967. It was modeled and inspired by the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, and that first edition was fueled by Trinidad and Tobago’s donation of the Cost of To the King and Queen of that year: The Jeweled Peacock and the Lotus Jewel. Today, the Toronto Carnival is the largest festival of Caribbean culture in North America, and the Trinidad and Tobago diaspora in Canada continues to be the engine of the Carnival’s success.
As 2022 marks the dual milestones of the 60th anniversary of Trinidad and Tobago’s Independence and the 55th year of Carnival, its signature events included special nods to Carnival’s Trinbago roots. Trinidad and Tobago’s youngest ever Soca monarch, Aaron St. Louisbetter known as voicegave a breathtaking high-energy performance to close the King and Queen show on behalf of the Consulate General of Trinidad and Tobago in Toronto on July 28, 2022. Trinbagonian Soca legend, About George (left), also put on a thrilling show for an appreciative crowd.
of “Pan Alive” exhibition on July 29, 2022 also honored the 60th anniversary of Trinidad and Tobago’s Independence, as well as Tobago-born Michael Phillips, a tireless volunteer and contributor to the Ontario Steelpan Association (OSA). Addressing the spectators, Acting Consul General Tracey Ramsubagh-Mannette said: “As we stand on the cusp of sixty years of Independence, the steel pan is a powerful reminder of who we are as a people and is a symbol of creativity, ingenuity and skill ours to make something out of nothing and find beauty and potential where others may have seen only a rusty oil can.”
On July 30, 2022, thousands of masquerades and spectators flooded Lakeshore Boulevard to boom Soca music. The Grand Parade was a natural showcase of Trinidad and Tobago’s massive tradition, cuisine and music, just as it was 55 years ago and still is today on an even more impressive scale.
A blast from the past
For more information, please contact Ms. Petronilla Marchan at [email protected] or +1-416-797-8200 or +1-437-331-6192 (Whatsapp or phone).
