Kardinal Offishall’s Six Things Everyone Must Do For Caribana

Words by Kardinal Offishall, as told to Jesse Serwer—

While Jamaica is getting set for Monday’s 50th anniversary festivities with all sorts of events and celebrations, the biggest blockbuster fete this weekend is actually going down way up north in Toronto: Caribana, said to be North America’s largest street festival. Caribana “weekend” is actually a five-day affair, with official and unofficial events starting on Thursday and running all the way through Monday. We tapped unofficial T-Dot Mayor Kardinal Offishall for his must-do selections. As Kardinal says, “You’re a real trooper if you get in on Thursday and make it all the way ’til Tuesday…There’s plenty of stuff to but you can’t go wrong with these joints…” Wheeeeelll!

Friday Night on Yonge Street

First, you gotta go to Young Street. That’s just where everybody congregates from Friday evening, though things can get a little bit crazy sometimes. I’m gonna give you the authentic vibes as much as possible because the thing is, for me Caribana has been commercialized a little bit and there’s big things that are happening on Friday night on Caribana Weekend that are not Caribana things to go to. If you’re West Indian first you gotta go to Young Street.

Dr. Jay’s Jouvert

Then Friday night you have to go to Dr Jay’s Jouvert. It’s one of the wickedest parties I’ve been to over the years. They have the whole thing, with the fire trucks inside the dance. You’ll go absolutely bananas.

Toronto Caribana Parade on Saturday (at Exhibition Place and Lakeshore Boulevard)

Saturday during the day for the parade is the biggest day, that’s the Mecca of the whole weekend Caribana, down on Lakeshore. Saturday morning to the evening.

Soca or Die! at Wild Water Kingdom on Saturday night

Saturday night there’s always a few different things. This year, I’m not really supposed to say, but there is a big big big big concert/dance outdoors at Wild Water Kingdom, [Soca or Die]. Thats gonna be a blast. Last year, they had Machel Montano perform, and this year they are gonna have every soca artist under the sun.

Grab Some West Indian Food on Eglinton West…

Eglinton West is our Little Jamaica. I used to live down the street from  there. There’s a whole bunch of West Indian restaurants. There is a place called Crystals that’s pretty dope. Anything from beef patties to bakeries, they have the jerk chicken cooking out front in the big drums and ting. Good food is good food so it depend what your in the mood for. If you’re from out of town and you don’t want to travel too much go to Eglinton West. Take a trip there and you’ll be straight.

…Or the suburbs

If your out in the suburbs that’s a whole other ballgame. You can go to Roti Hut out in Scarborough, they make the wickedest roti. You can get the roti with goat and add extra pumpkin on it. And then there’s Vineyards in Brampton, they have everything all the time, which is a novelty in the Jamaican restaurant industry. They will have ackee at 10 a.m. or 10 p.m.  I love that place. It’s wicked.

Guvernment Complex on Sunday Night

Sunday night Caribana, the guaranteed spots that happen every year, is the Guvernment Complex—it’s where Hot 97 DJ’s, and all the big American DJ’s, will come and play, that’s pretty much the guaranteed spot for years and years.

Then Monday you would go over to the islands, I think it’s Center Island where the Caribana stuff is happening. That used to be the staple. Now things have been shaken up a little bit and it’s not a Caribana affiliated event but every Caribana over the last three years Drake’s had his OVO fest on Sunday. You can still get away with going to that concert during the day but at night get back to your regular Caribana stuff.