ORLANDO CARNIVAL ACTION

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About Orlando Carnival Downtown

The Orlando Carnival Downtown festival has been infusing the joys of Caribbean culture and music into Orlando for more than three decades, and this year will be no exception, possibly the most exciting after 2 years of Covid imposed house arrest for all.

The annual festival brings pageantry, parties, art vendors and foods from Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados and other Caribbean nations.

Through the years there have been numerous top ranked recording artists performing at the event, including Dancehall reggae artists Tony Matterhorn, Serani and Menace, alongside Soca stars Raymond Ramnarine, Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin, Fay-Ann Lyons, Skinny Fabulous and many more for the grand finale of nonstop rhythmic rapture.

www.orlandocarnivaldowntown.com

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About Orlando Carnival Cultural Association

Carnival festivals are celebrated around the world throughout the year. The Orlando Carnival occurs each year on the fourth Sunday in May, during the Memorial Day weekend. The Carnival is hosted by the Orlando Carnival Cultural Association, in concert with local band leaders who bring masquerade troupes to entertain the masses during the annual street parade.

In Orlando, our Carnival history began with Johnson Gilbert’s dream to bring Carnival to Orlando. Later, Memorial Day Weekend hosted Orlando's first Caribbean Carnival in 1987. Johnson and other Orlando residents (Mark Modeste, Gloria Chandler and Tina Stubbs, to name a few) generated a 'big carnival party' in the Fairgrounds and the Carnival fame rose gradually with each year.

Nowadays, Orlando Carnival contributes a street parade with costumed masqueraders, steel band music, soca, reggae and calypso, with ethnic foods, arts & crafts souvenirs, DJs and live entertainment in the park.

The Orlando Carnival street parade occurs in Downtown Orlando and includes masquerade bands that represent various islands and cultures of the Caribbean with their colors, costumes and performances. The parade starts at 11:00 AM and is followed by a stage show with live entertainment and special guest appearances in the park until 11:00pm.

- Orlando Carnival Cultural Association

www.orlandocarnival.org