A look at the Caribbean festival parade dancing its way downtown

The Cariwest Caribbean Arts Festival saw a large crowd for its parade on Aug. 9, 2025. (Cameron Wiebe/CTV News Edmonton)

While Friday saw the official beginning of Cariwest Caribbean Arts Festival, Saturday’s parade kicked off the full celebration of colour and culture in Edmonton’s downtown.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

The three-day festival’s afternoon parade began at 108 Street and Jasper Avenue and danced its way east to Sir Winston Churchill Square.

“The Cariwest Festival is really about being inclusive,” said the event’s president, Samantha Alexander.

“It’s celebrating Caribbean culture. So it is a way to keep that culture alive, but it’s also an opportunity to introduce it to the rest of Edmonton.”

Festivities continue in the square on Saturday until 11 p.m. and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Both Saturday and Sunday will see DJ entertainment, food trucks and market vendors.

There’s also a kids zone for children aged between one and six, for arts and crafts. They’ll also have the opportunity to play steel pan and walk on stilts.

A full schedule can be found on the festival’s website.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Cameron Wiebe and Adrienne Lee