CariFest celebrates Haiti, Caribbean heritage all weekend – Charleston Post Courier

Charleston CariFest is an annual celebration of Caribbean American Heritage Month and this years featured country is Haiti, presented by South Carolina Caribbean Culture and Heritage Inc. The festival will honor Haitis Carnival, a major cultural event with music, dance, colorful costumes and more. All of the bases will be covered this weekend with activities for young, old and everyone in-between. Thursday will kick everything off with a symposium and opening reception. Keynote speaker Dr. Charlene Desir will introduce the history of Haiti with The Fighting Spirit of Our Ancestors.

The big festival events are on Saturday, beginning with a parade from the Charleston Museum at Meeting and John streets downtown, traveling down to King, Sumter, Hagood and Fishburne streets, ending at the Carnival Village at Brittlebank Park. This extravaganza will feature Caribbean food, costumes, games, vendors, a kiddie zone and dancing, with live music from reggae, soca (calypso), dancehall artists and more, as well as a performance from the Haitian Childrens Choir. An after-party will keep things going at Reggae Grill in North Charleston. Sundays All White Day Fete at Island Breeze on James Island will bring the celebration to a close.

WHEN: Symposium & Opening Reception: 6-9 p.m. Thursday, June 22; Parade: 4 p.m. Saturday, June 24; Carnival Village: 5-11 p.m. Saturday, June 24; All White Day Fete: Noon-5 p.m. Sunday, June 25

WHERE: Symposium & Opening Reception: College of Charleston School of Professional Studies, 3800 Paramount Drive, North Charleston; Parade: Charleston Museum to Brittlebank Park, downtown Charleston; Carnival Village, Brittlebank Park, 185 Lockwood Drive, downtown Charleston; After-Party (Saturday): Reggae Grill, 4226 Rivers Ave., North Charleston; All White Day Fete: Island Breeze, 2225 Mosquito Beach Road (off Sol Legare), James Island

PRICE: Free admission for opening reception and parade; Carnival Village: $10 general, free for ages under 12 years; After-Party: $10 general, $5 with carnival wrist-band; All White Day Fete: $10 general

MORE INFO: 843-557-6258, http://www.charlestoncarifest.com

Reach Liz Foster at 843-937-5581 and follow her on Twitter @TheDizzyLizzieB

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CariFest celebrates Haiti, Caribbean heritage all weekend - Charleston Post Courier