Caribbean festival coming back to Montreal this summer
Following the cancellation of the Montreal Carifiesta parade in 2023, a new coalition is coming together to celebrate Montreal's Caribbean communities.
This summer, the Caribbean Coalition Network of Montreal will hold a festival and parade celebrating nations such as Jamaica, Barbados, and Guyana.
Carimas spokesperson Kirk Bennett said the city has already invested in their plan.
"The city gave us this permit, gave us the go ahead to do this," he said. "We were granted $30,000 from the city for this project. Our projected budget is $105,000. So, right now we are in a fundraising phase of raising $75,000."
Carimas's vice president, Cynthia Waithe, said their proposal was accepted because the organizations backing it have been part of the Montreal Caribbean community for decades and have long-term plans.
"[It's] a sustainability proposal, and when I'm talking about sustainability, I'm talking about having a plan that's going to be in place for the next five years," said Waithe. "So we talk about the marketing, we talk about fundraising, we talk about maybe having a digital footprint."
The Caribbean associations say they have to work together to keep the event alive in Montreal, especially since it represents such a vibrant part of the city's culture.
"It is a community event and not a coalition event," said Carimas president Mark Henry. "So we are asking for your involvement, your support."
They also said that in a city where some festivals are in doubt, everyone is invited to make this one a success.
"Every organization - francophone, anglophone - that wants to be part of putting together a phenomenal event that the city has never seen before," said Waithe.
CTV News reached out to the organizers of the 2023 Carfiesta that was cancelled but did not hear back.
Carimas said festivities will begin in June and include pageants, a parade and a party in the park.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
'What have we done?' Lawyer describes shock at possible role in Trump's 2016 victory
A lawyer who negotiated a pair of hush money deals at the centre of Donald Trump's criminal trial recalled Thursday his "gallows humor" reaction to Trump's 2016 election victory and the realization that his hidden-hand efforts might have contributed to the win.
Conservative MP says Chinese hacking attack targeted his personal email
A Conservative MP is challenging claims by House of Commons administration that a China-backed hacking attempt did not impact any members of Parliament, because the attack was on his personal email.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Loblaw leaders call criticism 'misguided,' say they aren't to blame for high food prices
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston and the company's new CEO are pushing back against critics who blame the grocery giant for soaring food prices, as a month-long boycott of the retailer gets underway.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
'Giant-killer' Kazushi Kimura to race in Kentucky Derby this weekend: 'I'm representing Canada and Japan'
Six years ago, at age 18, Kazushi Kimura left his home and family behind in Hokkaido, Japan to chase a dream. This weekend, he'll ride in the Kentucky Derby.
President Joe Biden calls Japan and India 'xenophobic' nations that do not welcome immigrants
President Joe Biden has called Japan and India “xenophobic” countries that do not welcome immigrants, lumping the two with adversaries China and Russia as he tried to explain their economic circumstances and contrasted the four with the U.S. on immigration.