Toronto Caribana 2009

The Main event at Toronto Caribana 2009. This showcase event features an incredible display of colour and pageantry, commencing at Exhibition Place and proceeding west along Lake Shore Boulevard. Exhibition Place and Lake Shore Boulevard will come alive with the sights and sounds of Carnival!

Caribana is a festival of Caribbean culture and traditions held each summer in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Annually Caribana draws hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the globe to Toronto’s lakeshore. Caribana is a Caribbean Carnival event, that has been billed as North America’s largest street festival, frequented by over 1.3 million visitors each year for the festival’s final parade.

The entire Caribana event, which is one of the first Caribbean Carnivals along with those in New York City, Notting Hill and Boston to be held outside of the Caribbean region, brings in over one million people to the shores of Toronto pumping an estimated $100 million into the local economy.

Climate and Clothing

You will enjoy four distinct seasons. Spring (April – June) is very pleasant, with temperatures from 10 C to 25C. Summer (July – August) is hot and sometimes humid with temperatures reaching to 30C. Fall (September – October) is sunny, but cool with temperatures from 0C to 15 C. Winter (November – March) is snowy and cold, with temperatures sometimes dropping to minus 20C. Canada is famous for its great winter sports activities such as skiing, snowboarding, sledding and skating. We suggest that you bring warm coats, boots, mitts and scarves for the winter months, and jackets and sweaters for spring and fall.

Living in Toronto

With a population of 4.7 million people, Toronto is Canada’s largest city and the 5th largest city in North America after Mexico City, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Geographically, Toronto is one of Canada’s southernmost cities; it has nearly the same latitude as northern California.

As one of the world’s most multicultural cities, it is no surprise that there are over 100 languages spoken in the city. Students find they quickly fit in to the friendly neighbourhoods and green spaces of the city.

Things to Do
Toronto has six professional sports teams – hockey, baseball, basketball, football, soccer and lacrosse. It is also home to the Toronto Zoo, the Ontario Science Centre and the CN Tower.

Toronto’s vibrant arts scene includes the best of mainstream and alternative theatre, dance and music. The city has the third largest English language theatre centre in the world and hosts a variety of events throughout the year, attracting visitors from around the globe. Major arts venues include the Art Gallery of Ontario, Canadian opera Company, Canadian Stage Company, National Ballet of Canada and Royal Ontario museum.

Each year Toronto is host to major festivals that include: Caribana (Caribbean festival), Toronto International Film Festival, Pride Toronto (lesbian, gay and bisexual parade), Taste of the Danforth (Greek festival), Toronto International Jazz Festival, Caravan (multicultural festival), and the Canadian National exhibition.