By Nate Martinez
The melting pot that is Tucson, Arizona gets a little bit more cultural with its first in person/virtual Caribbean Carnival.
The event will be at the Dunbar Pavilion Center on November 14 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.. The carnival will feature a live DJ, Caribbean themed costumes and many South American food trucks.
There will be a 40-person limit to the event. However, a Zoom broadcast will show all of the festivities. A link is on the event’s website. Face masks and social distancing will be mandated.
The carnival’s organizer, Terrence Telford, says that the event is not only for people of Caribbean descent, but for everyone of all cultural backgrounds to enjoy. “It includes all [cultures],” he says. “You have to include these because this is our country. You’re celebrating the diaspora of cultures in Tucson. A lot of countries feel left out of the Caribbean Carnival. Here we celebrate everybody…we have even parts of Mexico with Caribbean culture.”
Setting the Caribbean carnival up definitely wasn’t easy for Telford. However, he states that if you are passionate about something, those hardships are nothing at all.
“I wouldn’t say it was hard. I’d say it was more so using your resources and connecting with like minded individuals. This is a passion of mine for a while…when you’re passionate about something, that stress turns into excitement.”