Trinbago Toronto Festival marks National Patriotism Month

The Trinidad and Tobago consulate in Toronto joined in celebrating National Patriotism Month – August 31 (Independence Day) to September 24 (Republic Day) with a Trinbago Toronto Festival at Nathan Phillips Square on September 7 and 8.

Dubbed "the sweetest lime of the summer," it celebrated culture, history, and impact of the TT diaspora in Canada, said a media release from the consulate.

The event was co-presented by Visit Trinidad and Tobago Beyond and serves as an important platform for both agencies' outreach to the TT community in Canada. Other event partners included Caribbean Airlines Ltd, Carib Brewery and, for the first time, the National Carnival Commission (NCC), the release said.

Festival-goers were entertained by Mical Teja, Andre Donawa, and KI, who energised the crowd alongside traditional Carnival characters who participated courtesy of the NCC. Also pan music, tassa and African drumming, Indian and folk dance, limbo, chutney and a food-festival element added to the festivities.

Petronilla Marchan, founder and organiser of the festival through the Palo Seco Innovations Group was enthusiastic about the event’s success.

“We’re proud and excited by the festival's tremendous growth. It’s an honour to host this year's event at Nathan Phillips Square, an iconic venue that truly reflects the significant contributions of our community to this city,” she said in the release.

Acting consul general Tracey Ramsubagh-Mannette said in the release, "This event is a humble attempt to bring all of the things that make us extraordinary and exceptional into one space, for one weekend, in the heart of downtown Toronto, and to proudly tell the story of who we are, what we have created and how much we have given the world.

"We have been happy to support this event since 2022, since it is built on the belief that members of our diaspora are our most powerful and persuasive ambassadors, not just for our country's tourism product, but for all of our cultural and creative assets."

The Trinbago Toronto Festival supports the Caribbean Scholarship Foundation. The fourth annual Trinbago Festival is due to be held in August/September 2025.