Carabram

Carabram is an annual multi-cultural festival in Brampton, Ontario, founded in 1982.

The festival was founded after volunteers from different ethnic communities wanted to organize a festival celebrating diversity and cross-cultural friendship. With a name based on a similar Toronto event, the Caravan Festival of Cultures, Carabram's first event included Italian, Scottish, Ukrainian, and West Indian pavilions. By 2003, forty-five-thousand visitors visited 18 pavilions. Canada itself had an anchor pavilion in the late-1980s and early-1990s, but ceased when it failed to get sponsorship.

Brampton Transit runs a free service connecting the pavilions, for people presenting a ticket to the festival.

Pavilions

Countries, continents, states and geographic or cultural regions that have been represented at Carabram through the years include Africa, Arab (dubbed "Arabian"), Canada, Caribbean*, China, Croatia, Chile, England, Germany*, Greece, Hawaii*, Hispanic, the Netherlands, India*, Ireland*, Israel, Italy*, Macedonia*, Mexico, Myanmar*, Pakistan*, Philippines*, Poland*, Portugal, Romania, and Ukraine*. Those pavilions marked with asterisks were part of the 2006 festivities.

Timeline

  • 1982: Italian, Scottish, Ukrainian, and West Indian pavilions to start.
  • 2006: Myanmar and Pakistan added, the Netherlands dropped.

Attendance

  • 2006: 40,000

Sponsorship

  • 2006: The City of Brampton, Mayor Susan Fennell, The Ontario Trillium Foundation, Peel Regional Police, RBC Royal Bank, Bacardi, Da Silva Catering, Bramalea City Centre, Coca-Cola Canada, Western Union, Shoppers World Brampton, COOL Beer, and John Logan Chevrolet.

Board of directors

  • Angela Johnson, President
  • Irene Tarnawsky-Garcia, 1st Vice President
  • Bev Wisniowski, 2nd Vice President
  • Paula Fanni, Secretary
  • Martin Dobbin, Treasurer
  • Dennis Ternowetsky, Aloke Mazumder, Gloria Rousseau