10 things you need to know about Caribfest

A hot time, island style, is coming to Norfolk this weekend. The Virginia Caribbean-American Cultural Association is presenting its annual CaribFest at Harbor Park. Some local people with ties to the Caribbean islands and culture have been preparing for weeks. Here's what you need to know to get ready.  

The night before a carnival is called jouvert (pronounced “joo-vay”), an informal pre-celebration that includes partying, music, dancing and general merriment. Often, people stay up all through the night and keep the party going into the morning, though the intent and practice of jouvert varies from island to island. In some places, jouvert is intended to chase evil spirits away. In any case, CaribFest 2009 starts with a jouvert on Friday at Acapulco's Latin Steak House, 470 Newtown Road,  Virginia Beach. Calypso legend Mighty Sparrow and other artists will sign autographs at the event, which costs $10 and starts at 10 p.m.   

CaribFest is one of many Caribbean festivals in the United States. There's actually a circuit you can follow, from New York (the largest, in Brooklyn on Labor Day Weekend) to Boston to Miami and D.C. and other cities domestically, and then Toronto and, of course, virtually every Caribbean island. Hampton Roads' CaribFest is in its fourth year and growing; the first year, about 1,500 people attended. Last year, some 4,000 people turned out.

A Caribbean festival just isn’t a Caribbean festival without a parade. This year’s parade starts at Park Avenue in Norfolk at 1 p.m. Saturday and ends onstage at Harbor Park. There, around 3:30 p.m., music gets under way. Parades will feature treats for the eyes and ears, including gigantic, colorful costumes, steel pan bands and floats representing various countries. Different bands, or clubs, work on their costumes and dances together, including the local Traditional Caribbean Indians.

Rihanna is from Barbados. Barbados will be represented at CaribFest. So what’s the link? We just wanted you to know that you should bring your own umbrellas. (And lawn chairs and blankets, just no coolers.)

Carnival queens are an integral part of the parades. Poised at the front of a group, these are the women decked out in the most elaborate regalia, and they are, no surprise, all about representing their country.

Take Nicole Carrington, head of the Trinidad float. The 40-year-old Brooklyn native has been in the area for 10 years; she came down to look after her sister, who was attending Hampton University. For a while, she missed all the “Trini” comforts of home but gradually discovered a thriving West Indian community in Hampton Roads. Now she’s a carnival queen.

“I was shy at first,” she says, “but now I’m a pro. I love that people have started to embrace West Indian culture. I feel like a representative. It’s hot, but let me tell you, they throw so much water on you, you can’t help but stay moist. The vibe, and the music is going … I’m dancing the whole time. I don’t feel any pain until the music stops.”

The parade is just one aspect of CaribFest; the other side is all that goes down inside Harbor Park. Everything kicks off Friday, when, beginning at 6 p.m., the musical performances get into gear. Mighty Sparrow, who’s considered the king of calypso, is the big name for Friday night.

On Saturday, the headliner is the group Krosfyah from Barbados, below, one of the world’s best-known soca acts. One of their songs is “Sak Pase” – a time-honored Haitian greeting that translates as “What’s up?”

You’ll get hungry from all that dancing, no doubt. So vendors will be on hand serving up time-honored West Indian delicacies including oxtails, curry goat and curry chicken, and saltfish. There will, of course, be roti, which is something like Trinidad’s version of a burrito filled with curry and vegetables and meat. If you’re not in the mood for meat, no worries: There will be vegan vendors, too, as well as desserts including mangoes, sugar cane and bread pudding. In keeping with West Indian tradition, there’s an emphasis on healthy, natural foods – so you can pig out and not feel guilty.

We all know kids can be hard to keep occupied, which is why there’s some entertainment designed for them during CaribFest. Jamaican storyteller Verna Muthoni will conduct a series of four Roots of Sound storytelling performances for adults and children beginning Friday evening and continuing Saturday, at the festival’s Kids Korner. “Verna is an expert in performing stories from Caribbean culture,” said CaribFest organizer Michael Forde. “She is bringing poetry, proverbs, as well as folk tales and songs to share with the audience, spanning the history of countries like Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad.”

You don’t need to be West Indian to participate. Flags are a must-have accessory, so whether you’re from Grenada or Georgia, bring a flag from your home territory and get ready to wave it like mad!

 
Malcolm Venable, (757) 446-2662, malcolm.venable@pilotonline.com