Caribana™, Toronto’s famous celebration of Caribbean culture, started in 1967 as a one-off event in honour of Canada’s centennial — “a West Indian salute to the people of Metropolitan Toronto,” in the words of founding chairman Samuel Cole. The week-long festival proved so popular that Toronto Mayor William Dennison urged organizers to make Caribana™ an annual event.

In the decades that followed, Caribana™ has become the largest festival in Canada. That first parade attracted some 50,000 people. By 1990, Caribana™ had grown to host over a million revellers a year, with people travelling from around the world to attend and contributions to the economy reaching hundreds of millions of dollars.

Yet the festival was chronically underfunded.  Continue reading “Client Profile: CARIBANA™ ARTS GROUP”