Victoria set to host Vancouver Island’s first-ever Caribbean festival

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The i-Land Fest will bring authentic Caribbean music and food to Victoria's Centennial Square

As the days grow shorter, a new event is set to heat up the capital city with Vancouver Island’s first-ever Caribbean Festival.

Residents of the Island and beyond are invited to the i-Land Fest, on the weekend of Aug. 24 - 25, to celebrate and enjoy the Caribbean culture.

This free event will feature workshops, live music and performances, as well as offer attendees a wide variety of authentic Caribbean dishes.

The festivities will kick off with a carnival parade that will stroll through downtown Victoria, starting at 11 a.m. (Aug. 24) from Wharf and Government Street, and will end at Centennial Square.

Following the parade, the celebration will carry on at Centennial Square, where the festival will run from noon to 8 p.m. on Aug. 24, and noon to 6 p.m. on Aug. 25.

For i-Land Fest president Oneil Randall, the idea for this event arose from a need to represent the Island’s Caribbean community.

“I moved here two years ago from Calgary and I said, ‘There's no way I'm gonna live here and not have (Caribbean) culture or at least a carnival,’” said Randall. “Most of the capitals in Canada have a carnival so it only made sense for us to have our own.”

For its inaugural year, Randall highlighted that the primary goal of this two-day celebration is to have fun while sharing Caribbean culture with the Island’s community through food and music.

Earlier this month, the carnival unveiled its headliners which include celebrated international soca star Shurwayne Winchester, from Trinidad and Tobago. The musician will take centre stage on Saturday for his first performance in B.C.

The following day, local reggae artist Caleb Hart, also hailing from Trinidad and Tobago, will entertain the crowds.

Despite being in its infancy, Randall envisions the festival becoming a major tourist attraction, rivalling Toronto’s Caribana, North America’s largest Caribbean Carnival.

An after-party is scheduled at Medusa's Shot House on Saturday, Aug. 24. This ticketed event will kick off at 9 p.m.

For more information about the festival or to volunteer, visit ilandfest.com.

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Victoria set to host Vancouver Island’s first-ever Caribbean festival

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