London, Ont. celebrates Caribbean Carnival

This weekend, London, Ont. is celebrating Caribbean Carnival. The party has debuted at Victoria Park, inviting Londoners to come out, bring their dancing shoes, and enjoy the culture.

“Carnival is a celebration of our culture,” said Carnival organizer, Lauri Morrison. “Traditionally, Carnival was celebrated because it was an emancipation from slavery in the Caribbean Islands, and that’s how we chose to celebrate that change.”

“It’s now grown into what we know as ‘Caribana’, or Carnival.”

Morrison said when she moved to London, there wasn’t much cultural representation and she wanted to change that.

“We started with Winter Dung Ah Town,” she said. “Last year, when we did Summah Sizzle, we took over Dundas Street and people said ‘we want more’.”

Since then, Morrison has been working alongside the city and Downtown London BIA to bring London what they want, leading to the debut of Carnival London 2024.

Carnival London takes place at Victoria Park from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. It began on Friday and continues through Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.