Caribana 2016: The Marks are in...

Another Caribana (Toronto Caribbean Carnival) has come and gone.  After having been interviewed twice by CBC Radio (once on the Candy Palmater Show and the other on Metro Morning) once by the Metro newspaper last week, what did I really think about Caribana 2016?  As a teacher, I decided that my last post for July 2016 would be a report card mark for this year's event.  This was my fourth time playing Mas' in Caribana.  I did so in 2009, 2014, 2015, and again in 2016.  2015 would have received a D- in my opinion and almost has me not playing mas' again this year.  I changed my mind after the deadline as the group, We Run Tings (who I also played Mas' with in 2014 and 2015), were very organized, got a great deal on the cost of our costumes, and focussed their discussions on health, nutrition, and body image.  (Nicole and Nichelle handled along of the ordering from our mas' camp Fantazia so I really didn't need to deal with too much.)  Having a younger sister who had been treated for an eating disorder means that I am very aware of body image and how my own body image attitude can have an impact on her.  I wanted to play Mas' with this in mind, despite my own reservations about my body size.  I wanted to fully embrace my curves and inches and enjoy the event which I did.  So when I saw the costume that We Run Tings selected with its orange and blue feathers (two of my favourite colours), I was "all in".  I wore my Great Canyon costume in the Fantasia section with pride. My grade and assessment is based on being a masquerader this year.  Click here for a fun Google Caribana animation. My costume fit nicely but I overlooked the necklace that I left behind in my bag and did not have the leg pieces tied on properly.  Ugh!  

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Caribana 2016 Score: C
As much I love Caribana and the Caribbean festival, Caribana 2016 was a satisfactory event.  Masqueraders in the parade had the opportunity to participate in costume, dance for judges, and then the parade opened out to a less structured street party for the rest of the route.  There was no gun violence and the turn out was amazing... thousands of people and lots of tourists.  That's what we Torontonians like to see.  However, there is still room for improvement... lots of improvements. 
+
- spectators could see the parade
- this time, the judges were at their tables by the time my Mas' Camp (Fantazia) arrived
- the street party part where the masqueraders and spectators came together was dope (fun, excellent, exciting)
- the weather was nice
- the show went on despite losing a major sponsor- Scotiabank
- no gun violence (although there were some fights which thankfully only saw one which was quickly dissipated)
- kids were there as spectators (and I saw one in this parade, pictured here although the Kiddies Carnival took place weeks ago) and they seemed to be enjoying themselves
- smiley happy dancing people
- the parade route was smooth and did not require going into a confusing circle which happened last year
- picture perfect opportunities
- tourists enjoying themselves and saying that the parade is still better than the Caribbean Carnival in XXXXX
- music was great as always
- bottles of water were plentiful
- a celebration of Caribbean culture and heritage that has persisted for almost fifty years now
- drew an amazing turnout-- thousands of spectators in tow
- inspired many "spin-off" festivals that also take place during this weekend like Drake's OVO Fest, Fire Fete, SOS Fete, Iriefest, and Island Soul.

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-
- spectators jumping over the high fence in the judging area before my group got judged
- NO repeat NO VEGAN OPTIONS (AGAIN! except CORN which is not enough to sustain)
- long periods of standing and waiting once on the parade route (nothing left to do, let's take a selfie)
- seeing signs that say JUDGING STARTS HERE and (nuttin' no go so) the Judge table being about hundred metres away
- a looooooooooong fence so masqueraders who needed to leave early or for emergencies meaning we had to walk the entire route to exit and there was no warning or indication of that (not safe)
- lack of signage to know where to go as the spectators were asking us masqueraders questions and we didn't know the answers (like last year)
- no parade marshalls (volunteers? greeters?) with Caribana t-shirts to answer questions, direct folks, keep things moving, prevent spectators from jumping in the judging and pre-judging area
- police and security presence was not overwhelming, often they were in the background but still there
- the fences! oh, the fences... it felt prison and cages... we got to do away with them or at least keep them only for the judging area
- right after the judging there is the big long gap with no signs and lots of people walking around, we couldn't move ahead because the truck was still behind us, there were lots of spectators, and no signage or officials to ask questions... this would be a perfect job for Caribana VOLUNTEERS and a VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
- would love to see more of the traditional mas' profiled somewhere, with the jumbies and the jab molassies (this year, I was kissed by a jumbie BELOW)

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Next steps:
The 50th Anniversary of Caribana is in spring 2017.  We want to make sure that all of the major issues have been worked out.  This is what I suggest.

1. Caribana organizers should meet with the executives and/or organizers of Toronto's other larger parades and/or other Caribbean Carnivals and parades to find out what is working or not working for them, how they keep floats moving, how they coordinate street parties, etc. Or hire a trusted Carnival consultant to make sure this event keeps going.  Also, connect with the other Caribbean parades across Canada.  Can you piggy back off of each others' efforts?  (Don't know if this has been tried yet.)  
2. Get a Caribana VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR and hundreds of VOLUNTEERS with bright t-shirts, who are in the know, to inform tourists, direct the path of spectators, assist, be extra eyes for spectators trying to jump the fence into the judging area, etc.
3. Signage everywhere.  The more accurate the better. e.g., EXIT here, ENTRANCE here, MID-WAY EXIT, SPECTATOR AREA.
4. Make it completely clear and transparent how one can get involved.  There is such a qualified, trained talented pool of younger people i.e. less than 50 years old who are also of Caribbean-descent and passionate about Carnival.  We have been going to the parade and playing mas' at Caribana or other Caribbean festivals in the diaspora.  Harness their talent before they all go to do Carnival in the islands this weekend because that is exactly what is happening now...
5. Find a more efficient way to move each Band and Mas Camp out onto and through the parade route as quickly and efficiently as possible.  I left the parade around 6pm yesterday and still saw that not all of the groups had gone yet.  My group was #5 and the parade starts at 11am.  That is an extremely long day and people do not want to get their group cut out of the parade like it has happened last year and previous years.  Maybe this will mean that the parade happens over two days OR that the street party portion is completely separate OR there is a maximum of 10 Mas Bands not 12+ OR that the parade starts at 9am.
6. Many more parade Marshals along the route to the judging tables to redirect spectators from this area.
7. More exits along the route.  This is a safety hazard and is not fair or accessible for masqueraders who cannot walk the entire route until the end.
8. Vegetarian options throughout the parade.  I am a vegan who eats cheese and I am allergic to fish which means I cannot eat jerk chicken, curried chicken, stewed chicken, saltfish bake/fritters, fried fish, beef patties, hotdogs, etc.  Please remember us herbivores.  It would make us very happy!  Otherwise, I brought my very extensive survival kit.  See my survival kit video here (I forgot to mention my Malaika's Costume flyers and sunglasses).
9. Stick to one name.  Please.  It's hard to promote and organize event when the name keeps on changing.  Just stick with Caribana.  That's what most people call it.  Toronto Caribbean Carnival is not catchy and extremely generic.  There are politics which are still murky for us non-Caribana organizers about the name usage.
10. Be professional, consistent, and transparent about funds as well as how others can get involved.  The city and corporations make it a lot from this event so hold them accountable, too.  We know this event brings in millions so let's make it public and serve the common good.

I have considered getting involved in the Caribbean Carnival organization but maybe in the future.  In the meantime, I am preparing to move to teach in Abu Dhabi for two years but Caribana, I'll be watching you closely and hoping for something more big and fabulous next year to commemorate the 50th Anniversary  Peace out!