Twin Cities Carifest holds 30th celebration of Caribbean culture during Aquatennial

Twin Cities Carifest held its 30th celebration of Caribbean art and culture in Minneapolis on Saturday. Since 1994, it has brought together people from diverse backgrounds living in Minnesota to enjoy music, a colorful parade and good food.

Event coordinator James Byron said Carifest is “our Carnival,” referring to the quintessential celebration held across different islands and wherever Caribbean diasporas can be located.

“People from all walks of life — big, small, rich, poor, whatever — come together at Carnival,” said the Trinidad and Tobago native.

On brand, the Carifest parade included the exuberant costumes typical of Carnival, as well as representation of north Minneapolis and Peruvian communities.

The festival stretched along the Mississippi River in the Near North neighborhood of Minneapolis, just down the block from the newly leased Caribbean American Culture Center.

Byron also chairs the Twin Cities Carifest nonprofit. He said the festival includes a fundraiser for disaster relief in all Caribbean islands. This year, the nonprofit is fundraising to further establish the cultural center which organizers hope will be home to a Minnesota Caribbean Museum, dance studio and the community at large.

There are about 10,000 people of West Indian descent in Minnesota, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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