Twin Cities Caribbean Festival - Carifest

 

 

Carifest brings the rich culture of the Caribbean to the Mississippi Riverfront. But this festival is not just about Caribbean culture, it seemed to be a melting pot of cultures. When I walked up I heard rock music. As I was leaving there was a band playing music of India. They also had many other styles in-between the two.

There were rows of Caribbean food, most cooking on the grill. Good food and good music, this was definitely unique festival.

 

 

 

 

The festival events extended to the Mississippi river where they had the Centurion 2010 World Wake Surf Championships. I have never heard of wake surfing before, just one more sport I would now like to try! The female in the picture to the left came all the way from Switzerland to compete.

 

 

 

Wake surfing is when one side of the boat is weighted to cause the wake to be on only one side of the boat. At 11-12 miles per hour the boat creates a wake big enough to ride. Once the rider gets up they throw the rope back in the boat and rides the wake. The surfer is able to ride the wake for as long as they can stay up, it could possibly be an endless ride.

 

 

 

The festival also had dance performers. I watched the Capoeira dancers. Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, music, and dance. It was created in Brazil by slaves from Africa, sometime after the sixteenth century. Participants form a roda, or circle, and take turns either playing musical instruments, singing or ritually sparring in pairs in the center of the circle. The sparring is marked by fluid acrobatic play, takedowns and with extensive use of leg sweeps, kicks and headbutts.

 

 

 

 

 

For some time, Capoeira was criminalized and prohibited in Brazil. It was nevertheless practiced by the poorer population on public holidays, during work-free hours and on other similar occasions. Riots, caused by police interference, were common.

 

 

 

 

 

This was a small festival but a very interesting one. The mixture of spectators that attended the event was indeed diverse. I love how all peoples of this city can come together and enjoy different cultures, peacefully. The festival is the 3rd Saturday in July every year. It will not disappoint!