Caribbean Carnival’s Over: Complaints, Successes And Challenges

By Lincoln Depradine
Pride Contributing Writer

TORONTO, Ontario – Festival Management Committee (FMC) organizers and mas’ lovers agree on one thing: This year’s Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival parade did not go as expected.

The FMC “planned well’’, chief administrative officer, Christopher Alexander, told Pride News Magazine.

He said that, in hindsight, the FMC “has seen some things that went wrong’’. Alexander promises that the committee will “come back and fix all those things’’ for next year’s carnival.

“We had some successes and we had some challenges,’’ Alexander said.

One mother, who opted out of playing carnival this year, was a spectator at Saturday’s Parade of the Bands on Lakeshore Boulevard.

She said she arrived on Lakeshore “very late’’, and noticed something “interesting’’.

“This is an interesting perspective. I’ve never seen gay men at the Caribana parade until this year. So, we’re moving in a different direction and there is nothing wrong with that,’’ said the mother, who promises to be “back playing next year’’.

Most other people who spoke with Pride News Magazine were critical of the parade, and offered suggestions for the overall improvement of the annual Toronto summer festival.

“Imagine there were nine bands and only five bands get judged. It was the worst,’’ one calypsonian said.

“They extended the route but it was more disaster. They should have left it how it was. They rush it, rush it; by one O’clock people sit down in the stadium ain’t even know what’s going on. People complained about the food and the $100 they paid. I went there in VIP, I get some rice and some gravy; that was my lunch.’’

The calypsonian advised on the need to “reshuffle this whole thing; get people who know about the business.’’

Dick Lochan, who was MC at a couple of events, called it “the shortest parade ever. I was looking to take the GO Train to go home at 1:15’’.

Lochan said the King and Queen of the Bands show and the Olympic Island event experienced good turnouts.

But, he suggested that the pan competition – Pan Alive that was won by Pan Fantasy for yet another year – “needs more advertising and marketing’’.

Lochan is also concerned that only 14 calypsonians sang in the tents this year, and just nine mas’ bands, including one comprising 4,400 revelers, participated in Saturday’s street parade.

“Things are really coming down. We should open this thing, with people of culture being resources to tell them what’s needed,’’ Lochan said.

Veteran calypsonian and entertainment promoter, Elsworth James, is also advocating changes to the Toronto festival, including a return to the name “Caribana’’.

“Me, personally, I don’t care who are the administrators of the festival, once the festival is being run the right way,’’ James said. “But, I would always say that I am still supportive of the name, Caribana; because that is a legacy for our children’s children. Everybody could say carnival; carnival is all over the place. But the name, Caribana, is latch on to emancipation, which is freedom and a cultural history.’’

James complained about the early completion of Saturday’s Parade of the Bands, and also about “dissention’’ among the various aspects of Caribbean culture, such as calypso, steelpan and masquerade.

“Let’s bring the culture together,’’ he urged. “I think they need to start listening to the voices of reasoning, and not look at it as you’re coming to condemn.’’

According to James, Toronto organizers “should seek advice from people who understand the culture, who know the culture, and don’t just listen to the voice that is only supportive of your agenda. Take the best points of views to improve’’.

Alexander, the FMC CAO, admitted that a major challenge Saturday was the “timing of the parade’’, with a program that involved passing the competitive costumed bands, guest bands and steelpan orchestras through the grounds of Exhibition Place for the viewing of paying patrons. There also were plans for a pan parade.

“Everybody was out of the grounds too quickly and it led to a crowding of the Lakeshore. It meant that we also had to stop selling tickets too early,’’ Alexander said.

But the biggest challenge to the parade, said Alexander, were “stormers’’; people climbing barriers or cutting wires to enter the parade route, where they mingled with masqueraders.

The storming of the route caused a ripple effect that impacted the parade, said Alexander.

“It’s not the right thing to storm the route. Something has to be done,’’ the CAO said.

“These people come down with crowbars and cutters. Some jump the fence and enter road and block the bands. It’s disappointing’’.

The parade was also stopped prematurely after weather reports that announced a storm was approaching Toronto.

“We had to stop the parade to get people out early. We were cognizant of their safety,’’ Alexander said.