Former Trinidad Carnival queen dies in Toronto at 75

Former Trinidad Carnival queen dies in Toronto at 75

Betty John who created carnival history in Trinidad by winning both the national carnival queen  contest in Port of Spain and the  local queen contest in her  hometown, San Fernando, in 1962, died at Bridgepoint hospital in Toronto  on November 17 last. She was 75. Her son, Joel, said his mother who suffered from diabetes […]

Macomere Fifi is president of OCPA

Macomere Fifi is president of  OCPA

Calypsonian Macomere Fifi (Eulith Woods)  was elected president of  the  Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes (OCPA) at a meeting in Toronto on October 25 last. Other officers elected were: Tara Gonzalez – Vice-President; (Cosmos) Henry Gomez – Secretary and (Webb) Hamilton Alexander – Treasurer. The positions of Public Relations and Marketing and Fundraising are yet […]

Former secretary of the Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes dies at 87

Former secretary of the Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes  dies at 87

Arlayne Margaret  Shepherd  (nee Walker), a former secretary of the Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes (OCPA) who was well known in mas’ making circles in Toronto’s Caribbean community, died on Saturday. She was 87. Carnival aficionados recall that she sewed costumes for the first Caribana parade in 1967 and played mas’ that year. Calypsonian Cosmos […]

Sally and Ossie among eight awardees at FMC dinner

Sally and Ossie  among eight awardees at  FMC dinner

A prominent  mas’ band leader,  a highly talented carnival  artist, a Grammy  award winner with several soca music hits to his name and a veteran pannist, were among eight persons from Toronto’s Caribbean community who received  awards on Thursday night at  the FMC (Festival Management Committee) Pioneer Award and Volunteer Appreciation dinner. At this apres-carnival […]

Caribana Arts Group plans carnival to embrace ‘people for all the islands ‘

Caribana Arts Group plans carnival to embrace ‘people  for all the islands ‘

By Lincoln DePradine The Caribana Arts Group (CAG) – formerly known as the Caribbean Cultural Committee (CCC) which organized and ran Caribana –announced on Sunday that  it  plans to put on a ” Caribbean carnival ” next year in Toronto. “We are planning, in 2018, to create another important platform – a stage, if you […]

Mas’ in London

Mas’ in London

Notting Hill carnival in London, often described as Europe’s biggest street party, brought thousands of revellers together during the August Bank Holiday weekend which ended on Monday. At  the opening ceremony doves were released in tribute to those who died in the Grenfell Tower fire last June and a multi-faith prayer was said. More than […]

Machael Montano’s Journey of a Soca King opens Caribbean Tales International Film Festival

Machael Montano’s Journey of a Soca King opens  Caribbean Tales International Film Festival

The  12th annual CaribbeanTales International Film Festival (CTFF) opens with a street party in Toronto on September 6 “celebrating the legacy, the people and the beauty of the Caribbean.” According to a CTFF news release, “2017, Clinton Street at College Street in Toronto will be magically transformed with the sights and sounds of the Islands, co-hosted by the Consulate […]

Colourful display as CARIFESTA XIII gets underway

Colourful display as CARIFESTA XIII gets underway

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – After having to be rescheduled from Friday due to the passage of Tropical Storm Harvey, the official opening ceremony for CARIFESTA XIII took place on Sunday, with Barbados’ Minister of Culture Stephen Lashley declaring the festival open. The ceremony at  the Kensington Oval  here  was preceded by a colourful parade of participating […]

Confusion and frustration reign at the grand parade

Confusion and frustration reign at the grand parade

By Lincoln DePradine Organizers of the 2017 Peeks Toronto Caribbean Carnival, through their newly hired operations’ manager Gerard Weekes, had promised a no-holds-barred approach to fix the problems that have besieged the festival’s annual street parade. Weekes expressed determination to eliminate the usual “huge gaps in the parade’’; to ensure all masquerade bands get on […]