There will be no jumping up for me today at Toronto’s 40th annual Caribana Festival. I spent most of my day cleaning up my apartment. :( Right now my little sister is using my place as her own personal hair salon.

The party is probably still going on, and it’s a great day weather-wise for it, but Caribana just isn’t like it’s used to be in my opinion. Even though the wonderful Carribean music, delicious food and multicultural crowds are still there, Caribana has been marred in recent years with negative stereotypes. Caribanshouldn’t be viewed as some type of Mardi Gras festival with men filming women degradingly, or a place to be wary of possible gunfire.

Caribana has to be more than just a parade. More history and culture needs to be reflected on, especially by the youth. More than likely, I’ll probably end up going next year. I may even reach Caribana Village tomorrow (the event that normally took place on Olympic Island) at Ontario Place.

Aside from the actual parade going on today, Harbourfront is also hosting their Island Soul Festival this weekend (until Monday) as part of their World Routes event. There’ll be a reggae & dancehall dance showcase, tons of ethic food, and several concerts including Jamaica’s dubbed #1 reggae singer, Barrington Levy, performing with his band on Sunday night. Visit the Harbourfront website for more info.

You definitely won’t be bored (or broke) this weekend if you live in the GTA. Harbourfront Centre is playing host to yet another wonderful, free weekend event: Global Hip Hop: The 4 Elements.

Hip Hop is a style, a sound, a state of mind. Following its steady path, we’ll go deep into its roots in popular culture on to how these roots have extended world wide, encompassing everything from electronic music, tablas, djembes, rock, soul, funk and R&B.

Highlights include the Montreal based collective Nomadic Massive, a special 25th anniversary screening of Charlie Ahearn’s film Wild Style (about Hip Hop music, style, art and culture stemming from South Bronx, New York), Cuban poetess and rapper Telmary, and Toronto’s first ever FreeStyle urban dance and DJ competition. Check out the schedule of great events at harbourfrontcentre.com.

Tonight marks day two of a 3-day comedy extravaganza in Toronto. The well-known, Montreal-based Just For Laughs Festival is making it’s mark for the first time ever in this city, while celebrating it’s 25th anniversary.

So prepare yourself for some comedic talent, artists, theatre and variety troupes from around the world, descending in and around Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square. One of the highlights of the event for me is Canadian comedian Russell Peters performing a free show at the Square tonight at 7pm (let’s hope the rain holds off).

The festival ends this Saturday, so make sure you reach at least one performance! Check out the official website for a schedule of events.