Toronto’s Caribbean Caribana festival is such a sight and a great place for young people from all over to come together and party. I must admit – this is not the place to bring your kids. I went for my bachelorette weekend and had a BALL!
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The festival is typically always held the first weekend in August.
Growing up outside of Cleveland, it was just a few hours drive around the Great Lakes to Toronto. I went my first time for my bachlorette weekend. I knew it would be the perfect destination.
I knew we could party until the sun came out if we wanted to, have fun at the parade, and soak up all of the Caribbean and black culture while exploring a beautiful city. I was right!
It was easy for my matron of honor to plan, as all my friends had to do was show up and pay for the package. Our itinerary for the weekend was already planned. And the flights to Toronto were reasonable.
Here’s some tips to make your trip successful in a post-pandemic world. (I came up with these tips after my trip in 2017.)
Tip 1: If you’re planning to make this a girls trip, or a guys trip for that matter, start assembling your group early. Caribana is held the first weekend of August every year, from Thursday to Monday. I started planning this on New Year’s Day and had a big group who wanted to go, but by the spring, all but three had backed out. Fortunately, that still left time to get the hotel package price for the cheapest rate.
Tip 2: Caribana offers packages and I thought they were great deals. The hotel packages include your hotel stay and party tickets. For three days and two nights, it cost the four of us about $250 each for that package. And we got to stay at the Intercontinental Toronto Centre, a beautiful, luxury hotel. The hotel packages sell out early so it’s best not to wait until the last minute. In the past, the last day to purchase the hotel packages was around the end of June. Toronto Caribana also offers weekend party passes that range from $30 to $130.
Tip 3: Check out the grande parade. The parade is on Saturday and it’s free. It draws a crowd of over a million people.The cultural event is by far the biggest and most important in Toronto’s Caribbean Carnival. Bring your walking shoes and a jacket.
Tip 4: Mix up the parties you attend. Check out the official parties, but also parties at other clubs in Toronto. We went to the official parties and found them to be crowded. When we checked out some of the other nightclubs in Toronto, we tended to have a little more fun.
My last bit of advice would be to pay attention to the people around you. There’s a good chance you’ll see people you know, and you may be able to crash their parties or VIP section.
Here’s a link to help you plan your trip! Have Fun! And if you’ve got questions ask below.
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