Sean Allen
BRANT NEWS

For the third year in a row, FestCaribbean was all it was promised to be for Brantfordians looking for a good time.

Organizer C.G. Dillon’s third annual celebration of Caribbean culture and entertainment had hundreds dancing in the aisles at Branlyn Community Centre on Saturday.

Hundreds of revellers were present from the moment the doors opened at 2 p.m. straight until the music wound down after midnight.

Brant resident David James, 25, and his friends came out because they heard the Caribbean event was a really fun time.

“It’s great that Brantford can have an event like this,” he said between bites of jerk chicken. “This is the kind of thing you would expect to have to go to Toronto for.”

The day began with family-friendly activities, including a steel pan workshop by the Hamilton Youth Steel Orchestra and a salsa dance class by Brian and Kelly Sloat of Art In Motion Dance Studio.

Later on, Brantford’s own R&B singer Chris Jackson put on a performance for the crowd.

Four dancers from the Dance Migration troupe in Toronto had all the children – and some of the young at heart – up dancing to their samba beats.

Dillon’s R&B-reggae band Colour Quest then took the stage for a set before the “King of Calypso,” David Rudder, closed out the night.

On top of the entertainment, attendees were treated to a range of island food, including jerk chicken and curried goat.

Vendors were on hand to display Caribbean wares and travel information was available for anyone who wanted more than just a taste of the islands.