Moko Jumbie Parade

Join Michael Lee Poy, the Moko Jumbie Mas Camp artists, camp participants, and their families for a jubilant community Carnival parade centering balance, regalia, joy, and emancipation – traveling along the sidewalk around Canoe Landing Park.

Since its earliest known historical appearance in 1791 in St. Vincent, the masquerade (mas) character known as Moko Jumbie has enchanted and frightened people throughout the Caribbean and its diasporas. With a mesmerising spectacle of balance and regalia, the guardian spirit both protects and participates in the Carnival street festivities. As a protector, Moko Jumbie is a reminder that playing mas is rooted in resistance to colonial oppression and Euro-centric religiosity. As a participant, Moko Jumbie is an expression and celebration of emancipation and freedom.

Generations of practitioners have continued this West African masquerade tradition in Afro-Caribbean communities worldwide, and, famously, here in Toronto, where Carnival has had a long relationship with the streets of our city. From its beginnings on Bloor, Yonge, and University to its current route along Lake Shore, each summer Carnival brings the Caribbean-Canadian community together ‘pon de road’ along with the rest of the city, to celebrate joy and liberation.

This summer, as we welcome Carnival back to the streets of Toronto, Michael Lee Poy’s Moko Jumbie Mas Camp will take over The Bentway Studio at Canoe Landing for six weeks in June and July, offering a free series of youth-centred workshops in costume-making, stilt-walking, and more. The workshops, led by local and international artists, will culminate with a jubilant community Carnival parade.