Carifest is Calgary’s Caribbean carnival, a three day August festival of Caribbean food, music, and culture. It runs from a Friday after work kickoff through Saturday’s colourful parade down Stephen Avenue, wrapping up with Sunday’s Reggae Cool Down.
About
The weekend opens with a Friday evening kickoff, then Saturday’s parade brings costumes, steel pan, and soca and calypso down Stephen Avenue before the party moves to Cowboys Park for Carnival in the Park. Island food vendors, family activities, and live music fill the park, and Sunday closes things out with the Reggae Cool Down.
Carifest began in 1982 and is organized by the Caribbean Community Council of Calgary. Its roots go back to the CanCarib Association, a group formed in the 1980s to share Caribbean heritage, and the 2026 edition marked the festival’s 45th anniversary.