ONTARIO HELPING CARIBANA FESTIVAL GROW

McGuinty GovernmentInvesting In North America’s Largest Caribbean Festival

 

News

Ontario is helping the Scotiabank Caribana Festival expand and attract bigger local and international audiences.
 

The provincial government is providing $300,000 to help the festival increase promotion across the province, in the United States and around the world.

Caribana is North America’s premier Caribbean event, attracting more than one million people.  This year, Caribana will officially launch on July 15 at Nathan Phillips Square.

Caribana organizers unveiled the festival’s lineup of new events, locations and dates today at the Royal Ontario Museum.

QUOTES

 

“As Ontario’s largest outdoor festival, Caribana raises Ontario’s tourism profile and makes an enormous contribution to our province’s economy,” said Tourism Minister Peter Fonseca. “This festival brings people together from all walks of life to enjoy the sights, sounds, and tastes of the Caribbean and celebrate the diversity of our province.”

“Thanks to the generous support of the Ontario government, Caribana is bigger, bolder and better than ever,” said Stephen Weir, of the  Festival Management Committee. “The Celebrate Ontario funding allows us to treat our visitors to more events, vibrant performances and outstanding food that will keep them coming back every year.”

QUICK FACTS

• The first Caribana in1967 consisted of a small parade created by Toronto’s Caribbean community as a gift to the people of Canada.
• Ontario’s $300,000 investment is part of the government’s Celebrate Ontario program.
• The Celebrate Ontario initiative was launched in December 2006 to boost tourism in the province by helping festivals and events across Ontario to enhance their products with new experiences that lead to long-term improvements to attract greater audiences. 
• In December 2007, the government announced that it would build on this success by more than doubling funding for the Celebrate Ontario 2008 initiative to $10 million and by expanding it to include new festivals and events.

 

LEARN MORE

Find out more about Scotiabank Caribana 2008
Discover other things to do in Ontario this summer.

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Contacts:

Alicia Farrow, Minister’s Office, (416) 325-4543
Gary Wheeler, Communications Branch, (416) 325-8391