Belleville’s downtown core was packed with thousands of residents enjoying the atmosphere and music of the 2nd annual Belleville Caribbean festival.
Sean Kelly, a Belleville councillor and chair of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee, said that the event was a big success.
“It was just a day of positive vibes and energy, good food, music, fun, thousands came out,” said Councillor Kelly. “It was a special celebration. Picture perfect.”
The event started on Saturday afternoon, filling the area around Front Street with the sound of Caribbean music and the smell of delicious Caribbean food on the grill.
While the event was a success, it wasn’t without its challenges along the way. Performers who were meant to walk in the festival’s parade were held up on the highway and couldn’t make it in time. The remaining performers gave it their all in a short parade down Front Street.
Despite the challenges the event faced, Belleville Chamber of Commerce CEO Jill Raycroft said they learned a lot from this year’s event, which can improve future festivals.
“I think the biggest thing is to get more of the Caribbean community out and to reach out to even some of the Black business owners that might be interested in participating as vendors,” said Raycroft. “And that’s probably part of it that we could build, now that we’re connecting better to the community.”
The festival lasted into the evening, ending at 11 p.m. Saturday night.
