BY: JELANI GRANT
The Peeks Toronto Caribbean Carnival displayed the costume designs for this year’s Junior Carnival mas’ costumes at Malvern Town Centre. More than 2,000 children will be dressed in costumes from different designers for the actual Junior Carnival on July 21st .
The afternoon event included steel pan performances from the Ontario Steelpan Association, as well as junior calypso singers. All eleven mas’ camps currently competing in the festival, are taking part in this year’s Toronto Caribbean Carnival.
A full crowd of families supporting their kids, as well as shoppers passing by the Central Court entrance, surrounded the stage. Approximately 100 children, between the ages of 1 and 16 displayed mas’ costumes, as a preview to this year’s junior carnival. “We look at this event as an opportunity to move forward to the future with our young performers. We are depending on them to keep this festival going for another 50 years,” said Carnival CEO Denise Herrera Jackson.
The line-up of outfits previewed for this year’s Junior Carnival, but other family events will celebrate Caribbean culture including the Junior King and Queen Showcase, the Junior Carnival Calypso Monarch Challenge and the Grace Foods Annual Junior Chef Competition. Grace Foods Canada Marketing Manager Ilisa Chacon brought on a few contestants for the Junior Chef Competition to quickly highlight that youth are quite talented in various ways and are getting the opportunities to show it. “As we look to the future, we’re excited about investing in the next generation and empowering them to pursue their passion of Caribbean inspired food and the opportunity to honour their heritage,” Chacon said.
She announced the 3rd Annual Junior Chef Competition, which will be held the same day as the Junior Carnival, where kids aged 9-13 years old compete for the first-place prize of $700, preparing a meal including Grace Coconut Water and Grace Jerk Seasoning/sauces for use on a BBQ grill.
Ward 42 City Councillor Neethan Shan was also in attendance to support Malvern’s hosting of the Junior Carnival. “It is really fitting that the Junior Carnival Parade and Family Day event is once again in Malvern… Malvern has one of the highest concentration of children of any community in Canada, and there are people from every Caribbean island living right here in Malvern,” Shan said.
Concluding the display of the individual mas camp costumes, all of the children came back to the centre, with the oldest of youth leading the younger ones in a display circle, giving everyone a good look at the vibrant costumes. “We want to celebrate our leaders which is the next generation and the leaders of tomorrow. Our focus is on young people, our future and your future,” CAO Chris Alexander said.
Peeks Vice Principal of Operations Afaun Mandol gave out t-shirts celebrating 51 years of Carnival in Toronto. “Its pretty clear that Peeks Toronto Caribbean Carnival helps to preserve Caribbean culture here in North America, and it has been doing that for the last 51 years…the Junior King & Queen, the Junior Parade are such important parts of the celebration,” Mandol said.
He noted that the inclusion found in of any of the mas camps greatly impacts the communities involved as well as anyone who gets to watch live streams through the Peeks app. The Junior Carnival has been running for more than 10 years, providing an opportunity for young masquerades to dance through the streets in a series of bands with leaders who display costumes in competition.
The Junior Carnival King and Queen Showcase is scheduled to take place on stage at the Woodbine Centre in Etobicoke July 15th , while the Junior Carnival will be held at Neilson Park.
