TODAY ‘On de road again,’ Caribbean Carnival grand parade returns to Toronto. Here is what you need to know
“We're just excited to be able to get back ‘on de road,’” Chair of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival Board, Laverne Garcia, told CP24.com.promises to be one of the biggest ones yet with more than 10,000 masqueraders expected to participate.
Fast forward to 1967 and that’s when Toronto hosted its first grand parade, which would go on to become one of North America’s largest outdoor festivals. “These bands apply to us, they get approved, and then they get seed funding from us. And then they go ahead and they start their mas camp, which is where they usually get a commercial property for the summer…and they build their costumes there,” Garcia said.“I want to say they're like little families because people spend countless hours there, building costumes, getting ready for all the revellers that are going to be coming,” Garcia said.
“There are certain characters that used to be portrayed, and they were sort of caricatures or you know, political satire on sort of the social environment and the social political environment at the time,” Garcia said.