Friday, May 27, 2011

Looser Ontario booze laws to take effect June 1


The Canadian Press

Promised changes to Ontario liquor laws will take effect June 1, just in time for festival and patio season.

The changes include allowing people to walk around at festivals with drinks, instead of being confined to beer tents.

Servers will be allowed to carry drinks on public sidewalks to licensed areas such as patios.

Liquor hours for weddings and charity events are being extended until 2 a.m.

As well, customers can be given a free drink if they are celebrating a special occasion like an anniversary.

The changes include stiffer penalties for liquor offences.

The province floated the idea of looser liquor laws earlier this year, and consulted with more than 40 groups about the changes.


So does this mean Johnnie Walker and Red Bull for the Lakeshore? Personally, I'd prefer a Lychee Martini :-p

Food for thought......if the new liquor laws allow for mas bands to serve alcohol on the Lakeshore this will most likely lead to an increase in the cost of costume packages......maybe bands will offer Alcohol and Non-alcohol prices......hmmm.....we shall see what develops.....

One more to go.....Mas PIayers International Band Launch

Hi readers,

Our very exciting 2011 Toronto Carnival Band Launch season is coming to an end with just one more band launch to go.

All the best to the MPI team tonight......

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Caribana Shoes Pricing......

Melo Productions Presents "Faces of Carnival" Band Launching Dance


“ Faces of Carnival ”
Carnival Band Launching Dance
(Melo's entry into the Caribbean Days Festival Parade)

Saturday May 28th, 2011

Croatian Centre Lounge
3250 Commercial Drive
Doors: 9:00 pm

Dance Music By:
* Daddy Mikey
* Elmo Super Sounds

Admission: $10.00 Advance
BUY TICKETS NOW at Highlife, Zulu, Salon Supreme, Rehanah's Roti,
Piassa Hairdressing Salon, Patty Shop & Caribbean Market.

In celebration of caribbean carnival, melo productions presents our entry into “caribbean days festival parade .” We invite all fun loving people to come and be part of the best time ever!

Carnival means many things to many people but for every masquerader, one Sentiment is universal. . . It's a time to have fun, a time to forget the care and frustrations of the real world and a time to jump, wine and wave with total abandon. From costume designs to music, our “faces of carnival” presentation, will be an exciting time of spectacular music and wonderful people! Come join us, choose your costume and come and be part of vancouver's caribbean carnival style mas camp!

Carnival is a beautiful example of how it can unite the world, the beliefs and traditions of many cultures to come together; and for a brief time, the whole country forgets their differences to celebrate life! Like carnival festivals all over the world, this promises to be far more than just a party. It is a breaking down of the artificial barriers of society - like class, race and wealth. It is a celebration of literal and spiritual emancipation. Through his ingenuity and dedication, melo productions brings to you “faces of carnival” don't miss out on this incredible event. Come join our carnival mas! You won't be disappointed! Come be a part of the best time ever. . .

Tickets available at: Highlife, Zulu, Salon Supreme, Rehanah's Roti, Piassa Hairdressing Salon, Patty Shop & Caribbean Market.

FMC gives reason for renaming Toronto Caribana

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Official Name Change Announced - Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival Toronto

Hi readers,

The official announcement came earlier today!

Goodbye Caribana, Hello Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival Toronto!!!
(kind of a mouthful....maybe CCT for short)

Anyway, here are the new links.....make sure to update!

Twitter: @TO_carnival



Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Carnival Diaries - Lawn Cooler Lime

Who doesn't love a Trini Cooler Fete.....well how about a Toronto Lawn Cooler Lime? And while you're there why not register to play in Carnival Diaries Section in Tribal Knights - "Legends of the Orient"......


Monday, May 23, 2011

Junior Revellers 2011 Caribana Band Launch



B Witched, I say a little lady is born

Dressed in green and black with many jewels she adorns

A mini wicked witch is on her way, to dance and prance in OZ today

The JUNIOR REVELLERS BAND LAUNCH is near in sight

Welcome to OZ will be held on SUNDAY MAY 29th

Emerald City

Toronto Revellers Mas Camp

2135 Sheppard Ave E. @ Consumers Road

SUNDAY MAY 29th | 3pm to 6pm

Hamilton Mardi Gras - Got Talent

Friday, May 20, 2011

Band Launch Reminders.....Happy Victoria Day!!!


This Saturday! The first ever band launch for Bitter Lemon Carnival...come and check out the mas, real mas...quality costumes, great service. DJ (Ian) Bad Lad, DJ Jay P. Williams, MC Dick Lochan, Chutney artist Joeezy, suprise Calypsonian...the Hummingbird Dance and Performing Company featuring Keith Pascall. Registration available on site! See you there!! $0 in advance, $15 at the door. 81 Peard Rd, Victoria Park/St. Clair (Legion Hall)


Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Fantazia International Special Promotion


Special Promotion:

Register with Fantazia via email (fantazia_09@hotmail.com) and recieve backline costumes as low as $125 ($165 for Mystic Warrior). In the subject line of the email please add "COMING TO DANCE WITH FANTAZIA 2011". NOTE: To secure registration, you MUST make a 50% deposit on costume at the grand opening of mas camp. Any questions please email fantazia_09@hotmail.com

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Caribana Shoes

Hi readers,

Are you looking for footwear to match your Caribana costume. Caribana Shoes may be what you're looking for......

So you’ve picked your costume, found matching jewellery and make-up, now what about your feet?

You want cozy, comfortable shoes to jump up on de road, but you also want a perfect match for your costume. Caribana Shoes provides shoes that are DECORATED TO MATCH your costume. Save loads of time and stress from shopping around for matching materials, messy spray paint & sparkles - let us do the work for you!

You can also send us your pre-purchased shoes or boots we will decorate them for you! Just contact us and we will be happy to help you!


Calgary Carifest 2011


Check the website for more events and details....

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.....


So readers,

It appears that our beloved festival has to undergo a name change....again! Remember TIC a few years ago.....Toronto International Carnival. I have to say I didn't like that moniker (it reminded me of yucky ticks). So hopefully the Festival Management Committee and Scotiabank (major big bucks sponsor) can come with something better!!!

What do you readers think.....any thoughts on what this year's festival should be called? Will this name change affect your "Caribana" experience?

In my humble opinion....."a rose by any other name would smell as sweet".....whatever its called "dey cyah stop de bacchanal".....See you on the Lakeshore!

Caribana controversy | Home | Toronto Sun


Caribana controversy

BY ,TORONTO SUN
A scene from last summer's Caribana parade. (ERNEST DOROSZUK, Toronto Sun)


The organizers of Caribana have been ordered by a court to stop using the name of the 43-year-old Caribbean festival, officials say.

“I am very disappointed by what has happened,” said Councillor Joe Mihevc,

who acts as a liaison between the city and festival.

Mihevc said a group called the Caribbean Arts Group (CAG) went to divisional court and last week took control of the name “Caribana” from the Festival

Management Committee, which has staged the annual festival since the city cut

its funding in 2006.

He said a new name for the festival will be released next week.

“We have worked so hard to grow and nurture the festival over the years,”

Mihevc said on Monday. “We are looking at a number of names for the festival.”

He will this week call for the city to pay about $100,000 for the rental of Lamport Stadium for festival events and for the staffing and cleanup of Budapest Park on the day of the parade on July 29.

City councillors will have final say on the issue. The city already dished out about $500,000 to help the festival which attracts about 1 million revellers.

Caribana officials said the two groups have been fighting for control of the

parade for about five years. CAG officials have installed board members

Leslie Forbes and Henry Gomez, who refused to return phone calls on Monday.

One prominent Caribana band leader, who didn’t want his name used, said a name change will confuse people.

“The show will continue but we will have to see how many people show up,”

the bandleader said. “People from all over know the festival as Caribana and

that will not change.”

Festival spokesman Stephen Weir said the trademark issue has been simmering for years.

“This won’t stop the parade at all,” Weir insisted “We have to get a new name and the parade will be bigger and better than before.”

He said organizers and mass players have to create a new name and logo for the parade this year.

Major festival sponsor Scotiabank plans to stick with the event.

“Scotiabank is still title sponsor of the festival and there are no plans to withdraw our sponsorship,” said spokesman Livy Feldgajer.

A 2009 Ipsos Reid Economic Impact Study by Scotiabank found that the festival generates $438 million yearly with over $313 million going into the economy of Toronto and surrounding area.

Don't call it Caribana - Toronto festival forced to find new moniker


COLIN O'CONNOR/TORONTO STAR
Dan Robson and Nicki ThomasStaff Reporters

For now, just call it the festival formerly known as Caribana.

Toronto’s massive mid-summer Caribbean celebration is being renamed.

Last Thursday, the Ontario Superior Court ruled that it can no longer use the name Caribana because it is trademarked by a group that founded the festival, but no longer runs it.

“There is no change to the festival,” said Chris Alexander, chief administrative officer of the Festival Management Committee, which has run Caribana for the past five years. “The only thing that has changed is the name.

“And people will still call it that.”

But behind the Caribana name change, there’s an ongoing struggle for control over the massively popular celebration.

In 2006, the city and province cut funding to Caribana after organizers failed to produce adequate financial statements.

Control was transferred from the Caribbean Cultural Committee (CCC), which started the festival in 1967, to the newly created Festival Management Committee (FMC).

After the transfer, the festival was officially called the Toronto Caribbean Carnival.

In 2007, Alexander said, the FMC was given permission to use the Caribana name by lawyer Charlie Roach, then chair of the CCC. (The Star was unable to reach Roach for comment.)

But the Caribana trademark remains with the Caribana Arts Group, successor of the founding organization.

Henry Gomez, the Caribana Arts Group’s current chair, said the organization was forced to take the FMC to court because control of the cultural tradition had been stripped from their hands.

“(The FMC) were supposed to run the festival for one year only,” he said. “Since 2007, we’ve made innumerable attempts, but they’ve refused to acknowledge our ownership.

“We created it, conceptualized, nurtured, managed and produced it for 39 years. And we still own it.”

While plans are still in place to run Caribana under a new name this summer, Gomez said the Caribana Arts Group will do everything in its power to prevent the festival from going forward.

“Caribana by any other name is still Caribana,” said Gomez, calling the festival the intellectual properly of his group. “We will fight vigorously against any theft by sleight of hand, because that’s what it would become if they tried to pass it off.

“I must stress,” he continued. “Should a group treat us with the respect of our rights of ownership . . . we would see what is possible.”

According to Alexander, the Caribana Arts Group has asked for $250,000 from the FMC to use the Caribana name. Gomez wouldn’t comment on the specifics of what an agreement would look like.

Alexander said Caribana has flourished under the FMC’s leadership, expanding into new events and operating as a sustainable business.

An Ipsos Reid study released last April showed Caribana generated $483 million for the provincial economy in 2009, drawing about 1.2 million festival-goers, including 300,000 from outside the country.

But last year, an expected $600,000 in federal and provincial grants didn’t come through. The festival’s budget decreased from $2.6 million to $1.8 million.

Organizers plan to announce a new name next Wednesday.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Socacize Boatcruise - FLAUNT


“FLAUNT” on De Water Boatcruise
F – Feel Good
L – Look good
A – Attitude: Sexy classy
U – Unleash

N – Nice up yourself
T – Take pleasure in enjoying U
FLAUNT on de water
Tuesday July 26th
Stella Borealis
1 Queens Quay East Pier 27
Boarding time 6:30 p.m. Dr. Jay & DOC M.C Eman
Limited $35 tickets available at participating
Socacize locations (click here to find a class)
$40 tickets available:
West
Dj DOC | djdoc@me.com | 647-891-2970
Sachy | 416-937-3641
East Cut Creator II 810 Midland Avenue 416-266-1962 Cut Creator (Malvern Mall) 31 Tapscott Road 416- 754-2030
DR. JAY
socaprince@gmail.com | www.twitter.com/socaprince
Downtown Cheryl 416-560-2783

Sykotik Mas 2011 Band Launch - Midnight Madness


Carifiesta 2011 - Roots Cultural Association presents "B*Daz*zled"



ABOUT US:
OUR GROUP HAS BEEN PARTICIPATING IN MONTREAL CARNIVAL'S SINCE 1977, HAVING WON THE TITLE OF "BAND OF THE YEAR" OVER 25 TIMES, OUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE MONTREAL CARNIVAL PARADE IS A MUST EVERY YEAR.

Now that's some GREAT Canadian Carnival history!!!

Savage Carnival Arts Inc. Old Mas Competition & Fete

Carivibe 2011 - St. Lucia Ottawa Association presents: Rhythms of the Islands

"Rhythms of the islands is an initiative of the St. Lucia Ottawa Association Youth Committee. Our participation in CARIVIBE is in keeping with our mandate to preserve our culture and heritage for future generations of St. Lucian descendants, to share our Caribbean culture with our wider Canadian community and to provide opportunities for our youth members to showcase their talents, take on leadership roles and build skills to foster their personal development in a positive way. This we accomplish by planning, organizing and hosting educational, cultural, entertainment and sporting activities.
For the first time this year we are presenting a mas band for CARIVIBE, Orleans parade and beach party, the National Capital Region’s Caribbean Festival taking place Saturday June 18, 2011. The theme for our band is Rhythms of the Caribbean portraying the most popular Caribbean music genres in 4 sections: Kaiso (Soca and Calypso) Zouk Reggae Chutney Registration Info Registration is open to everyone between the ages of 12 and 99 Registration includes full costume, a meal, non-alcoholic beverages during the parade, and entrance to the Petrie Island Beach Party.
All prices are per person and a $50 non-refundable deposit is required to secure a space, the balance is to be paid in full upon receipt of the package.
Prices per person are as follows:
$110 – until May 21
$125 – May 22 to June 4
$100 – For groups of 10 or more
Payments can be made by email money transfer, cheque or cash.
Email lucianmas@gmail.com to make arrangements for cash payments
Cheques are payable to St. Lucia Ottawa Association and can be mailed to St. Lucia Ottawa Association P.O Box 39055, RPO Billings Bridge Ottawa, ON K1H 1A1 "

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2019 Toronto Carnival Band Directory

Hi readers, The mas bands have done their part… Band leaders have chosen their themes,  designers have worked tirelessly on thei...