Caribana | MIXED BAG MAG

Over our lasts few posts MIXED BAG MAG has been getting into the thick of it. We allowed ourselves to get fully absorbed into the beautiful chaos of the crowd at the Festival of India and Caribana.

What we have love about parades is that they give us the opportunity to get up close and personal. As we walked along with the parade goers we became part of the collective experience. And when that experience is a celebratory one then we all have the opportunity to find ourselves enjoying the company of strangers who start to feel more like friends.

Along with the thanking all the many staff and volunteers at Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Festival (Caribana) who created a most stunning event MIXED BAG MAG would also like to thank Toronto Police who helped make this year’s carnival a success!

Photography by Leah Snyder & Ahmed Sirry for Mixed Bag Mag.

As if we didn’t see enough colour at Toronto’s Festival of India, when we arrived at this year’s Caribana Parade it looked like a bag of skittles had scattered out onto Lakeshore. Mango yellows, deep maroons and fiery reds cooled by jade greens and watery blues.

Caribbean culture is a truly hybrid culture(s) with each country representing a mix due to the dark side of history – slavery, migrations of indentured workers, and colonialism but Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Festival (Caribana) is the celebration of what can happen when people with diverse music, food, dance and religion end up living together in a new place – a new world emerges.

The opening up of immigration in the 70s attracted many people from places like Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago. The result, 45 years later, is the warming up of Toronto with this hot festival.

For more information on the festival visit www.torontocaribbeancarnival.com or follow on Facebook and twitter @TO_Carnival.

Photography by Leah Snyder & Ahmed Sirry for Mixed Bag Mag.