Thousands of visitors attended the third annual Afro-CariBrant festival at Lions Park in Paris on Saturday, September 6 and Sunday, September 7, 2025.
Presented by Darmont GivesBack, the now two-day festival once again celebrated the rich culture, traditions and people of the African, Caribbean and Black communities living in the County of Brant, Brantford and beyond.
Tobi Adedayo, CEO of Darmont GivesBack and the festival chair, said that this year’s festival boasted a host of activities for the whole family, something she and her team have always prioritized when planning the event.
“We always try to provide things, not just for the adults, but the children too,” she said. “This event is all about sharing and celebrating our culture and so we really try to provide different activities to keep people engaged and to show them a good time.”
Throughout the weekend-long, visitors of all ages got to enjoy a lineup of live entertainment and performances from several DJs, Elle de Lyon, the Efik Dance Troupe, Gem Shadou, the Bahama Junkanoo Legends, the Panatics Steelband, the Neema Choir, ArCee, Zazri’El, and more.
Guests also had the opportunity to join in on the fun during the Afro-CariBrant parade, the daily dance competitions, the Gwan Move fitness workshops, and Saturday’s drum workshop with Chris Fire 10.
While many children spent the weekend enjoying the playground equipment and activities in the Kids Zone, their parents and other adults often took the opportunity to shop from, and interact with, the many service providers and vendors in the marketplace.
From clothing to jewellery, hair and skin products, custom tumblers and more, there were plenty of ways to support the small business owners on site.
Essay Folami, programs director for Darmont GivesBack, said that another big part of the festival was the lineup of food vendors.
“You can’t come here and not enjoy all the food!,” he said with a laugh.
For those looking to indulge their tastebuds, there were several culinary options available throughout the venue. Vendors like Fresh Squeezed Lemonade, Big Josh Kitchen, Reggatina, TropiKups, Chungchun Rice Dog, Butter & Crème Bakery and Barbecue, Finger Foods Canada, Kemonaija Foods and JK’s Restaurant, all spent the weekend keeping everyone fed and full.
Burford resident, Angela Green, and her sister, Dawn Frutti, who was visiting from Oakville, said this was their first time visiting the Afro-CariBrant Festival.
“The vibe is just great and I also love that they’ve incorporated the kids, it’s been really fun to see them get into too,” said Green.
“It’s so much fun; this is totally our kind of music, everyone seems really nice, and it’s a beautiful park,” added Frutti.
As a nearby neighbour, Green said it was great to see an event like Afro-CariBrant happening in the Paris community.
“I think it’s a really great way to draw awareness to all the different cultures that are here,” she said. “I feel like African-Caribbean culture is only growing within the community and so I think it’s really awesome to be able to showcase that. The fact that it’s a free event too? That just makes it more accessible and draws people to the town; I can really see this event growing each year as more people become aware of it.”
Folami later said he was thrilled with this year’s turnout.
“We’ve already had probably around 4,000 people stop by today and it’s just the first day. Our goal was around 7,000 for the whole weekend, so we’ll see how many people come out tomorrow, but we seem to have more people out than we thought we would this year which is amazing,” he said. “The weather is good; it’s not too hot, not too cold, and it really allows people to come out and enjoy themselves. The vendors are having fun and even those that were here last year have noticed how great the turnout has been.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
