Caribbean Winter Festival Brings Parang Magic to Blue Mountain

By Henry Gomez

All who know Parang and its hybrid, Soca Parang associate this genre of music with Trinidad and Tobago at Christmas time. And those who know anything about Calypso, Soca, Caribbean folk dance, Chutney, Tassa or any of their derivatives, associate these forms of cultural expression with Caribbean carnivals and other festivals that take place in tropical regions.

Blue Mountain Parang Invasion

 

Outside the Caribbean, where temperatures are sometimes sub-zero and less favourable, these festivals have been traditionally staged during the hot months of summer. That was until the Festival Management Committee, which produces the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, teamed up with Blue Mountain Village to produce Blue Mountain Caribbean Winterwonderland Festival 2024, December 6 – 8. This was a first.

I am pretty sure that initially, some might have scoffed at the “crazy” idea of having a Caribbean carnival in a venue noted for snow and winter sports – an oxymoron of the first order! Just as some might have scoffed at the idea of a Jamaican bob sled team in the Winter Olympics. But I performed on the Friday night of the event, and I can say unequivocally that this crazy idea not only worked, but was an astounding success. People came and enjoyed themselves non-stop.

The idea came about because Festival Management Committee (FMC) received a Destination Grant from the Province of Ontario to stage a Caribbean carnival-style event. Since the summer months were already crowded, management considered having something in the winter; and so, they did. According to Adrian Charles, General Manager for the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, “We thought of the Niagara Region, but since there were already Caribbean activities there, we decided on Blue Mountain.”

The snow, falling and accumulated on the ground, the Christmas lights, the outdoor fire and the buildings that enclosed the open space resembled a storybook setting with and helped to create the wonderland effect. Add to this people in winter wear dancing to the rhythms of Caribbean music and you get the idea.

I shared the stage with Macomere Fifi and we performed for about forty minutes with our tracks. Yes, it was outdoors on a relatively small stage. The heaters did not work, but I did not feel the cold. Neither did I mind the snow. At our urging, the crowd formed conga lines, danced parang and had their “hands in the air.”

Dance Caribe Performing Company and Humming Bird Tassa group also represented, and it was heart-warming to see so many people from the Caribbean community participating and enjoying themselves – in the snow! Upon roll call, I discovered that the crowd was international and included holidayers from France, the United States, Grenada, Chile, Portugal, Trinbago. It was also. Some people made it a family affair and had young children with them.

If I felt a little sad, it was because the fairly large carnival costume on display on the stage where we performed remained inanimate throughout our set. No one was dancing in it, so it bore the brunt of the snowfall. I felt sorry for it, as though it were a lonely person stuck in the snow.

Will this event be staged again next year? “Definitely,” said Adrian Charles. And, I hope it does.

My advice to FMC/Toronto Carnival is to advertise the hell out of this event. The one consistent comment I saw on social media is that more people would have attended if they had known about it.

Over time, this could be Ontario’s version of Bonhomme – Carnival de Quebec, held in Quebec City each winter.

Skiing, tobogganing, tubing and a Caribbean carnival seems to be a great mix. I am looking forward to 2025.  

BlueMountainFestival #CaribbeanWinterWonderland #TorontoCaribbeanCarnival #ParangInTheSnow #SocaVibes #WinterCarnival #CaribbeanCulture #OntarioEvents