Waterloo Region embraces inaugural Caribana Ignite street party [Video]

The streets of downtown Kitchener were alive with colour, music, and energy as the city hosted it’s first-ever Caribana Ignite festival.

“Downtown Kitchener is electric today,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic.

The event, an expansion of the well-known Toronto celebration, brought hundreds of residents and visitors together for a vibrant showcase of Caribbean culture.

For the first time in its 50-year history, Caribana made its way outside of Toronto, and the Kitchener community welcomed it with open arms. From the pulsating rhythms of soca and calypso to the dazzling costumes and flavourful Caribbean cuisine, the festival transformed downtown Kitchener to showcase “the true essence of carnival.”

‘Singing and dancing on the street’

The highlight of the weekend was the grand parade, where participants adorned in elaborate, colourful costumes paraded through the streets, dancing to the beats of steel drums and DJs spinning Caribbean hits.

“It’s like the happiest kind of music in the world. And it’s so happy, everyone’s going to be singing and dancing on …