The fourth annual Afro-CariBrant Festival will return to Paris Lions Park on Saturday, September 5, and Sunday, September 6, 2026.
Presented by Darmont GivesBack, the two-day festival will once again celebrate the rich culture, traditions and people of the African, Caribbean and Black communities living in the County of Brant, Brantford and beyond.
The event will consist of plenty of activities for families of all ages including a Kids Zone, drumming circles, cultural games, storytelling sessions and face painting.
There will also be a lineup of live entertainment and performances from several DJs, Elle de Lyon, Chris Fire 10, Bahamas Junkanoo Legends, Izumba, Marlo, McDonald Steelband, Ashanti Canada Cultural Troupe, Shanessa, and more.
Guests will also have the opportunity to check out a fashion show and join in on the fun during the grand parade, dance parties and competitions, afro zumba, and Gwan Move fitness workshops.
A marketplace featuring vendors and service providers will also be set up on site. Visitors can shop for a selection of clothing and jewellery, hair and skin products, artwork, and cultural crafts, or learn more about different programs and services. Food will also be available to purchase throughout the festival, allowing guests to indulge in traditional flavours, street food, sweet treats and beverages.
“It’s really just a fun-filled event, and we love the fact that families can come together to laugh, rejoice, and just relax and enjoy, not just the music, but the park itself,” said Tobi Adedayo, CEO of Darmont GivesBack and the festival chair. “We love to see the children having fun and all the joy that happens during the event, but also seeing people being educated on the culture and understanding it. It’s really an opportunity to just build a strong community, which is beautiful.”
With the year’s event theme being “Heritage in Motion,” Essay Folami, programs director for Darmont GivesBack, said they’ve added a couple new elements to Afro-CariBrant 2026.
“‘Heritage in Motion’ is not only about where we’re from, it’s about what our communities, generally speaking, have built and continue to build,” he said. “And so this year, we’re bringing in a mobile museum in collaboration with the Canadian Multicultural Inventors Museum, and they’ll have a pavilion of some sort with different African historical exhibits. We’re also collaborating with the National Film Board to bring in a selection of six short films that will be screening at the festival as well.”
Folami added that the County will be declaring the first weekend in September as Afro-CariBrant Festival Weekend, and will be putting together an official proclamation and flag raising on Saturday, September 5.
When asked how it felt to see the event grow over the years, both Adedayo and Folami said it was a dream come true.
“The idea behind this event was to give back and introduce the people and a culture to the community itself. To see it growing and being accepted the way this festival has, you can’t help but marvel at how united people can be; how you can use culture, arts and happy events like this one to unite people and bring them together,” he said. “With the Afro-CariBrant Festival winning the 2025 Good Times in Brant Award, and then being a finalist for the RTO3: Hamilton Halton Brant Tourism Recognition Awards, those are all testaments to how this event has been accepted and how it’s growing, and that feels really good. We couldn’t have done it without the team we have or the number of volunteers we have. They’re all the backbone of this festival and we really appreciate that.”
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.
