Carifest Returns with Caribbean Food, Music

The 10th annual Carifest Celebration will once again bring together the best of local and island musicians and artists to celebrate the rich diversity of the Caribbean.
The festival runs from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 29, in the South Park Blocks near Portland State University.
The free celebration serves as a showcase and meeting point for the diverse cultures of the Caribbean, which include peoples and cultures from Africa, Europe and the Americas. With authentic foods, children's activities, live music, craft vendors and Caribbean dance and mask-making, the festival highlights the cultural diversity and spirited survival of ethnic heritage from the Caribbean islands.
This year's festival will focus on the region's foods. Dishes such as curry chicken, jerk chicken, red beans and rice and Jamaican patties will be provided by Salvador Molly's and Montego Bay restaurants.
This year's Carifest will feature authentic, Portland-based performers from throughout the Caribbean region. New this year is the All-Day Street Party with live DJs playing soca, salsa and dancehall reggae music, and a cultural showcase featuring Afro-Cuban drumming and African song and dance. A children's parade and mask-making workshop are also on the schedule.
Festival performers include:
• 12:30 to 1 p.m.: Solo drumming by Chata Addy.
• 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.: Jazz Pianist Ramsey Embick leads Ramsey y Los Montunos, a nine-piece Latin salsa orchestra.
• 3 to 4 p.m.: Chata Addy performs with Susuma, an Afro-Cuban and funky highlife dance band.
• 5 to 6 p.m.: Katt and the Roots Revolution Band.
The Caribbean Cultural Association was established in 1993 by a group composed mostly of people born in the Caribbean and living in the Portland/Vancouver area. Its membership has grown to include both persons interested in the Caribbean and those of Caribbean heritage.
The association's social, cultural and educational mission is served by events like Carifest, as well as lectures and public programs and exhibits. The organization sponsors annual Caribbean Studies scholarships at local universities.
Carifest is co-sponsored by the Black Studies Department at Portland State University and the Caribbean Cultural Association.