Organizers behind the Montreal Carimas Festival say this summer’s celebration is about more than music and costumes — it’s part of a broader effort to revive a Caribbean carnival tradition they say once defined the city.
The Caribbean Coalition Network of Montreal officially launched the festival Thursday, confirming a series of cultural events leading up to its main street parade on July 4.
Now in its third year under the coalition’s leadership, the festival builds on a carnival legacy in Montreal that stretches back more than five decades.
“This is our third edition, but carnival goes back over 40, 50 years in Montreal. And so it’s just a continuation of that celebration,” said Mark Henry, president of the organization.
He said the event reflects both cultural pride and a desire to share that identity more widely.
“It’s important because many of us who have immigrated to this country, we leave a lot of ourself home to reintegrate into a new country, a new place,” Henry said.
He added that the festival is intended to bridge that gap by bringing Caribbean traditions into Quebec’s cultural landscape.
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For organizers, the festival is also about ensuring younger generations remain connected to their roots.
Sharon Baptiste, spokesperson for the festival, secretary of the Grenada Nationals Association of Montreal and a founding member of the Caribbean Coalition Network of Montreal, said she is deeply involved in the community behind the event.
She said the festival gives young people — particularly those born in Canada — a chance to better understand their cultural background.
“I think it’s very important to celebrate our culture here in Montreal,” Baptiste said.
She added the event goes beyond visual spectacle, highlighting storytelling through music and shared experiences.
“We want not only our kids to know that culture, but we want the rest of the world and Montreal … to feel what we feel as Caribbean people,” she said.
Baptiste said the coalition itself reflects a spirit of collaboration.
“The Caribbean coalition is a unity of seven islands coming together, working together, volunteering together,” she said.
Music and performance will play a central role in this year’s festival, with several carnival bands set to take part in the parade.
Organizers say returning groups include Rayne Carnival, TNT One, Desire Carnival, World by Storme and Big Daddy Mix, with additional bands expected from across the Caribbean, including Haiti and St. Lucia.
Each band will bring its own theme, sound and visual identity to the streets, combining music, dance and costume design in a format rooted in Caribbean carnival traditions.
Participants will move through the city in coordinated groups, accompanied by high-energy music.
Baptiste said the atmosphere is a defining part of the experience.
“The music gives this sort of vibes that does, that makes you want to dance even though you didn’t go to dance,” she said.
In the weeks leading up to the parade, the festival will include a pageant, a youth carnival event and a series of community gatherings.
At the centre of it all are the costumes — intricate, colourful designs that carry cultural meaning.
Mass maker Raquel Huggins said each piece is carefully constructed to reflect both heritage and creativity.
“It’s about heritage. It’s about our fight. It’s about keeping our traditions alive,” she said.
Huggins explained that costumes are designed around themes, with each section representing different elements.
“This year our theme is about nature,” she said, describing how colours and materials are used to represent landscapes like rainforests and the sky.
For some involved, the festival also represents an effort to restore Montreal’s place in the broader Caribbean carnival scene.
Ronald Greenidge, who represents the TNT-ONE foundation and helps create costumes, said the city once played a central role.
“Montreal was the mecca of carnival. Everything started here,” he said.
He said the goal now is to rebuild that presence and reintroduce the energy that once defined the event.
“We are trying to bring back that flavor in Montreal,” Greenidge said.
He described the work behind the scenes as both demanding and deeply personal, involving materials sourced from around the world and significant personal investment.
“Carnival is in my bone. It’s in my culture,” he said.
Greenidge added that broader support will be key to sustaining the festival’s growth.
“I think that people should actually come out and embrace this … because if they don’t, this is going to die,” he said.
For participants, the festival is not only cultural, but emotional.
Storme Moore, a band leader with World by Storm, said her involvement is tied to family and legacy.
“My grandmother was alive, and now she’s gone, and now that she’s not here, I want to leave a legacy for her,” she said.
Moore described carnival as both a personal outlet and a shared experience.
“Carnival is my happy place, and it’s really a joy … to see people come out and party with us,” she said.
The festival will culminate in a street parade followed by “Carimas Sizzle,” a park event featuring music and performances.
Organizers say the goal is to create a space where culture, history and community come together — not just for Caribbean Montrealers, but for the city as a whole.
“We’re looking forward to having a great celebration of our culture within the Quebec space,” Henry said.
