Toronto Caribbean Carnival Festival Officially Launches on July 11th at Nathan Phillips Square

July 6, 2023July 7, 2023 News Room

July 6th, 2023 | Vision Newspaper |

Toronto, ON – The Official Public Launch of the 56 annual Toronto Caribbean Carnival’s month-long festival takes place on Tuesday, July 11th at Nathan Phillips Square from 11 am to 8 pm and is free for all to attend. As North America’s biggest street festival, Toronto Caribbean Carnival attracts close to 2 million people to the Grand Parade alone.

Official Launch Schedule of Events are below:

11am – 12:30pm Steelpan and Stilt Walkers
12:30pm – Opening Remarks
1:00pm – 1:30pm – Entertainment & Masquerader Showcase
1:30pm – 2:30pm – Media Availability
4pm – 8pm – DJ Showcase – Party in d’Square

“We are thrilled to be launching this year’s Carnival festivities” exclaimed Mischka Crichton, Festival Management Committee CEO. “We’ve been working tirelessly to revamp the festival and ensure a great experience for our attendees. What’s most important to us is that everyone feels accepted and included, which is reflected in this year’s theme: Diversity and Culture Live Here!”

The schedule of events for the rest of the festival season are as follows:

Junior King and Queen Showcase: Sunday, July 16th at Scarborough Town Centre
Junior Carnival Parade: Saturday, July 22nd at Malvern Community Centre
OCPA Calypso Showcase: Sunday, July 30th at Latvian Culture Centre
King and Queen Showcase: Thursday, August 3rd at Lamport Stadium
Pan Alive Panorama: Friday, August 4th at Lamport Stadium
The Grand Parade: Saturday, August 5th along Lakeshore Blvd.
Pan in de Park: Sunday, August 6th at Malvern Recreation Centre/Malvern Park
TCC International Food Festival: Sunday, August 6th at Malvern Park

“We pride ourselves in creating a welcoming, safe environment for this shared celebration of Caribbean culture” explains Jennifer Hirlehey, Chair, Festival Management Committee, producers of Toronto Caribbean Carnival. “We continue to campaign for more funding from all levels of government to ensure we are able to meet the rising costs of security and keep everyone safe for this festival season.”

Other key events to watch out for:

TFC Caribbean Culture Night on July 8, 2023 to highlight the sounds, cuisine, revelry and arts of the Caribbean community; Junior Masqueraders will parade across the field at halftime
Prayer Service to Bless the Festival Season on July 9th, 10:00 am at the Church of the Nativity, 10 Sewells Road, Malvern.
Toronto Caribbean Carnival teams up with the Blue Jays on Friday July 28th for pregame and interactive activities throughout the game
Metrolinx will unveil a Toronto Caribbean Carnival themed double decker GO Bus as part of its role as the Official Transportation Partner
Through the multi-year partnership with Toronto FC, a special day of mentorship will be held at MLSE Launchpad for students in the Young Learners Program, which is supported by the Festival Management Committee, Toronto area schools and Toronto FC

Partnership support is expressed with gratitude to the following: Scarborough Town Centre, Exhibition Place, Ontario Science Centre, Metrolinx, United Local 46, Grace Foods, Bell Media, CP24, OCAF, Federal Government of Canada, Provincial Government of Ontario, City of Toronto, Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto FC, BBEP, Porter Airlines, OLG, Cantu, Diageo/Guinness, Street Eats, OSSTF and Spotify.

SOURCE Toronto Caribbean Carnival