The 26th annual Cariwest celebration will once again be the hottest ticket in town as it swings into full boogie mode Aug. 6 to 8.
The theme is Palance, borrowed from the name of a dance introduced at the Trinidad-Tobago 2010 Carnival. “It took on a life of its own and became very popular. It’s a Caribbean line dance but with more energy. It’s very upbeat and it really gets you moving,” says festival marketer Indira Rampersaud.
The three-day event kicks off Friday night with the much-anticipated Costume Extravaganza at the Jubilee Auditorium where masquerade bands in full costume vie for the title of festival King and Queen. “The music is freakin’ fun and it takes you out of your zone,” she says.
Some of the costumes can be as big as 17-by-17-feet and are cloaked in secrecy. “They want to be new and fresh and leave the audience gasping in surprise.”
On the following Saturday morning, the Cariwest Carnival Parade starts at noon on Jasper Avenue and 108 Street and winds down to Sir Winston Churchill Square. A Caribbean Village will be set up at the square complete with island cuisine, a watering hole known as the rum shop and vendors.
Saturday night it’s time to party at the Druze Centre with feature headliner Rupee, a Calypso singer from Barbados. “He has a sweet voice that blends soul and Calypso. He’s young. He’s hot and he’ll have the girls going.”
Manning the dance floor is DJ Soca Sweetness. “He plays great Trinidadian-Tobago music. He blends the old and new and everything in between.”
A second DJ highlighting Caribbean culture is Levi Chin from St. Lucia. “He does a great blend of reggae and soca music with a special bad-ass twist.”
Sunday is a hang-out day at the square wafting with fragrances of spicy West Caribbean foods and the music of steel pan bands. Last year more than 70,000 people attended the three-day affair.
“There’s nothing else like it to make people feel energized. We want to take you and make you one of us.”
Tickets for the costume extravaganza are $15/adults; $10/children. Call 780-421-7800.
