It looks like Mississauga’s Black History Month will conclude with a significant event in 2024, set to take place this Sunday at the city’s Small Arms Inspection Building on Lakeshore Road. The Freedom Mas Band is wrapping up the month with the year’s first Carnival costume launch, which they’ve named the Black History Month Carnival Edition!

The Freedom Mas Band is an integral part of the annual Toronto Caribbean Carnival and is scheduled to participate in the Grand Parade in Toronto on August 3rd. Band leader Johanna Grant shared with the Caribbean Camera that the Band Launch on Sunday afternoon will unveil their new costume lines inspired by the 2024 theme, “What If.”

The free launch event is scheduled to run from 11 am to 6 pm. Alongside the adult and children carnival costume launch, there will be a vendor’s market, music, and activities for children. Throughout the day, several special guests are expected to visit the exhibit hall. “We can confirm that Charmaine Williams, MPP Brampton North, will be attending,” said Grant. “Councillors from Ward 2 and Ward 9 are confirmed, and I am awaiting confirmation from Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie and Conservative Party leader MP.

The Freedom Mas Band, founded by Johanna Grant, is the brainchild of a Canadian-born individual with Jamaican parents. Grant aimed to provide her children with a taste of Jamaica without the need for a flight. In 2020, her application was approved by the Festival Management Committee to bring a Band to the Toronto Caribbean Carnival representing the Jamaican Diaspora.