Phoenix Caribbean Carnival

On Sunday morning I googled things to do in Phoenix, today. I found this event, 4^th annual.
You can see in my picture what the agenda included.
Doors open at 11a.
*no kid zone
*no face painting
*no arts and crafts
Beer garden open, but as of 12:30 still not selling alcohol/​beer. (Cop was late)
*at 12:15 the crew was still putting the stage together (so no live music or DJ at this point)
*food options seemed plentiful (past reviews complained about food options) I didn’t eat however
*several Caribbean themed vendors
*highlight of the day was the free personal water mister State Farm was handing out for agreeing to be harassed daily I’m sure.
At the end of our stay, which was about 12:30 I found someone who worked for the event. I asked about the face painting, he was dumbfounded but was going to do some asking around. He seemed sincere about the miss, but clueless about it at the same time.
I’m happy that it was free to get in, I would have asked for a refund. I did however hear, and see them trying to collect money at the door for entry.
I won’t be returning to see the 5^th annual event should it take place.

So this is the 3^rd year of the Phoenix Caribbean carnival. This year the festivities were moved to the courtyard behind Seay’s. The benefit to this was a good amount of shade, but the space was tiny. I went year 1, so I was hoping for a bit more by now. Honestly I was bored. I know we Caribbeans can’t expect an Eastern Parkway (Brooklyn, NY) type parade or even that of Miami, but jeez it was dry! There was only one food vendor and the line was moving verrrrry slowly. There should have at least been a «fast lane» for patties or festival (even though those weren’t an option). The DJ was good enough, although he could add some kompa, zouk, punta, and latin to his playlist. The Caribbean comprises of several countries. I understand that Trinis run the show here in Phoenix (and put on a great carnival back home), but it might do the organizers some good to get some input from a variety of islanders out here. Bottom line: more food, greater variety of food and snacks, local entertainment and some artisans selling Caribbean wares would be nice. Here’s to hoping next year is more exciting!

A small little festival at Wesley Bolin Plaza. Unfortunately, the weather today was very hot, which made it unappealing to try any of the hot foods offered. They did have some lemonade and Italian ice stands, which helped us cool off. The food vendors consisted of some Caribbean foods (e.g., goat curry, jerk chicken), as well as other «ethnic» cuisines such as a Tex-​Mex burrito place, and Emerson Fry Bread. There weren’t a lot of vendors selling wares, and most of them were selling very similar items (Woven items, jewelry, shirts). There was a smallish stage with an M.C. and a DJ behind him, but not much entertainment when we went except for a few kids and adults dressed in traditional Caribbean outfits parading down a short stretch of sidewalk.
In general, I really wanted to like this festival, but it was too small, with limited things to buy or eat, limited entertainment, in really hot weather. As a result, we left shortly after arriving.