A Huge Caribbean Street Food, Rum and Culture Festival Is Coming To Montreal Next Month

Carifiesta Montreal—Carifête in French—is one of the city's more engaging parades. A July tradition since 1975, it celebrates Montreal's Caribbean community with beautiful costumed carnival dancers, steel drum performances, and vibrant personalities taking part in the procession.Organizers expect up to 500,000 people lining Ste. Catherine Street for the Carifiesta 2019 parade, which kicks off on Saturday, July 6, at noon. Expect the parade to last at least two hours, with plenty of parties around the city happening after the main event. You can also drop by the Montreal Jazz Festival's outdoor perimeter before and after the Carifiesta parade to catch some live shows and free entertainment.

Carifiesta's parade moves along Rene Levesque and ends at Rue de Bleury. You can catch a great view of the revelers anywhere along the route, or even join the parade yourself by applying in advance on the official website.Celebrating Caribbean CanadiansCarifiesta is much more than an excuse to celebrate on a hot summer's day. Themes of emancipation and freedom are woven into an event that's about taking back what was stolen from the ancestors of Montreal's Caribbean community.Colorful costumes, vibrant music, and copious exclamations of joy and dance come with the territory. But unlike other carnival traditions, which happen just before the Christian observance of Lent in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, and even Greece, carnival in Montreal comes in the thick of summer, since Lent usually falls in the coldest part of winter.

Considering what winter looks like in Montreal, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone crazy enough to don flesh-baring carnival costumes in subzero weather.Weather conditions aside, Carifiesta isn't really a pre-Lent observation in the first place. Carifête's celebration of Montreal's Caribbean communities serves as a reminder that, not so long ago, many of the community members' ancestors were slaves whose owners who did not let them join in any pre-Lent celebrations.History of Carifiesta: A Reason to CelebrateBecause Carifête's roots lie in emancipation, the Carifiesta Carnival is a chance to symbolically take back what too many ancestors lost. It's also an opportunity to honor various island cultures, along with Central and South American communities, all of which contribute to Montreal's multifaceted and multicultural nature.

Carifiesta dates back to 1974, when the nonprofit Caribbean Cultural Festivities Association hosted the inaugural event to honor of Montreal's large Caribbean population. Since then, the parade has grown in size every year, and although there have been some organizational conflicts, Carifiesta has been held all but two years since its inception.Montreal's Carifiesta may be the largest Caribbean street parade in North America, but it isn't the only one of its kind.

Caribbean street parades exist in many cities around the United States, Canada, Mexico, and South America, as well as in areas of Europe and Asia with large Caribbean populations.WAS THIS PAGE HELPFUL?25 Free Things to Do in Montreal This JulyA Month-by-Month Roundup of Annual Festivals in Hawaii.

Best Montreal Summer Events of 201965 Free Things to Do in Montreal: June 2017Montreal July 2018 Festivals: The Good, the Great, the BestChristmas Activities and Festivities in the Greater Phoenix AreaSummers in Montreal are filled with delicious food festivals — the latest being A Taste of the Caribbean.

This Caribbean street food, rum, and culture festival will be celebrating its 20th year at the Clock Tower Quay in Montreal’s Old Port.

From Thursday, July 11th until Sunday, July 14th, there will be Caribbean food, rum tastings, and live music.

The rum tastings will include mixology demonstrations — giving you the opportunity to learn how to mix cocktails just like bartenders do in the Caribbean.

This year’s focus will be on dance and you’ll be able to learn a variety of dances while also learning about how African and colonial had influences on Caribbean dance styles.

You can attend one of the daily dance workshops or view the dance performances from Caribbean dancers who live in Montreal.

With over 15 food vendors, you’ll be able to satisfy your cravings of jerk chicken, curry goat, roti and more.

This is an event for both adults and children — with a soccer zone and kid-friendly activities.

Best of all, this event is free to attend with free activities — just bring money for food and drinks.

The event will be open from 12P until 11P every day from July 11th until July 14th.

It's summer in Montreal, and that means festival season. We've already announced a Taco & Cocktail festival, a Fermented Food festival, and a huge Street Fair on Sainte-Catherine.

And now we're back with another street food and culture festival happening next month: A Taste of the Caribbean 2019!

The festival is celebrating its 20th year in the Old Port of Montreal, so you know that they're going to go all out with food, rum tastings and dancing 'til dawn.