Since 1967, the Caribbean community in Toronto, Canada, has been the focus of North America’s largest carnival, commonly referred to as Caribana by locals. This is Caribana weekend. It’s a popular event for Torontonians and people from around the world who descend on the city to enjoy the Caribbean culture on display. Because of COVID-19, the signature Caribana parade has been cancelled and we can’t expect 2 million people to visit this weekend, but there are still lots of activities taking place. Click here for a list.
This is also the time of year when Signals’ Blog Carnival takes place. While the two share many similarities, they should not be confused. The biggest difference being that Signals does not host a ginormous parade that winds its way through the south part of the city. Instead, we have bloggers and thought leaders sharing their opinions on one topic that changes every year. Readers can “move” from blog post to blog post to ingest everyone’s perspectives, sometimes switching websites. Think of it like a stationary pub crawl, without the alcohol. At the end, readers have absorbed knowledge, not booze, so there’s no risk of a hangover. Unlike Caribana, we don’t have any DJs on retainer or elaborate costumes. But once you account for these minor differences, the two are basically interchangeable.
Here’s a handy table to make sure you don’t confuse them.
| Caribana | Blog Carnival | |
| Based in Toronto | Yes | Yes |
| Held annually | Yes | Yes |
| Takes place in summer | Yes | Yes |
| Theme | Yes – Caribbean culture | Yes – regenerative medicine issues |
| Cultural Food and Drinks | Yes | Yes – bring your own |
| International visitors | Yes – over 1 million from the United States alone | Yes – Signals attracts readers from around the world, and Susan Nichols, Dr. Phil Vanek and Kevin McCormack of CIRM are guest bloggers this year! |
| International participants | Kes | Brent McPherson of World Courier, CCRM Australia and Dr. David Kent |
| Canadian roots | Yes – Caribana was created to celebrate Canada’s Centennial. 1967 marked the 100th anniversary of Confederation. | Yes – the blog carnival has Canadian bloggers: Dr. Michael May, Janice Nicholson of Stem Cell Network and Dr. Tara Fernandez (born in Australia but now living in Vancouver). Dr. Kent is also Canadian. |
| King and Queen of the Parade | Yes – judged on their parade costumes. | No – but Michael May has been known to wear costumes
|
| Parade | Yes | No |
| Live music | Yes | No – but you can supply your own |
So, in summary, Signals’ Blog Carnival is taking place, right here, on Wednesday, August 26. Just like the King and Queen of Caribana aren’t known in advance, we’re keeping this year’s topic a closely guarded secret. You’ll have to visit this site in just under one month to learn what everyone is writing about this year. For last year’s Blog Carnival, click here.
In the meantime watch the video below, which at first might have you guessing: “Caribana or Blog Carnival?”
Stacey Johnson
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