{"id":1703,"date":"2026-06-16T13:05:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T13:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703"},"modified":"2026-06-16T13:05:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T13:05:29","slug":"charlotte-had-then-lost-a-caribbean-carnival-now-a-reggae-club-owner-has-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703","title":{"rendered":"Charlotte had, then lost, a Caribbean carnival. Now a reggae club owner has plans"},"content":{"rendered":"

The rhythmic sounds of steel drums, vibrant costumes, and plumes of feathers will bring the spirit of Caribbean culture to Charlotte<\/a> again, this time in uptown.<\/p>\n

Read more New burger and shake joint to fill former Chick-fil-A in Concord. What to know<\/a><\/p>\n

The first Queen City Caribbean Carnival<\/a> will debut June 25-28, featuring a multi-day lineup of festivities culminating in a masquerade parade.<\/p>\n

Elvado Laing, co-owner of The Reggae Lounge<\/a>, is the driving force behind the carnival\u2019s revival. A native of Freeport, Bahamas, Laing moved to Charlotte eight years ago. Two years ago, he and his wife, Lytondra, opened their reggae club on Statesville Avenue, just north of uptown.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s something that needs to happen because the (Caribbean) community is huge,\u201d Laing said.<\/p>\n

His assessment is backed by U.S. Census data, which showed that from 2011 to 2021, Mecklenburg County\u2019s Caribbean population surged<\/a> by more than 113% to over 70,000 with ties to Caribbean islands or countries bordering the Caribbean Sea.<\/p>\n

The latest U.S. Census data<\/a> from last year showed people from Latin America make up the largest portion of foreign-born residents in both Mecklenburg County and the Charlotte Metro, with a population of about 94,479 and 156,278, respectively. Latin Americans are from nations in the Caribbean, and Central and South America, according to the census.<\/p>\n

As this growing population aims to embrace their roots and share their culture with the wider community, the carnival serves as a historic expression of emancipation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A previous iteration of the Charlotte Caribbean Carnival ran for four years under different organizers, and this new venture seeks to build on that momentum.<\/p>\n

In 2024, the last year for that carnival, it drew over 2,000 people. While significant, it remains a fraction of the attendance seen in cities like Miami that sees a crowd of 100,000 or Atlanta with about 10,000 people.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery major city has a Caribbean carnival, and Charlotte hasn\u2019t had one in about two years,\u201d Laing said.<\/p>\n

Officials with the former Charlotte Caribbean Carnival did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

Read more An NC university is eliminating the position of Gender Studies director<\/a><\/p>\n

Laing brings extensive experience in organizing large-scale Caribbean and music festivals, including helping to launch Raleigh\u2019s carnival.<\/p>\n

That event, the 13th annual CaribMask Caribbean Carnival,<\/a> will be held in August, and has grown into one of Raleigh\u2019s largest summer attractions. It draws around 15,000 attendees, according to Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau<\/a><\/p>\n

Beyond the celebration, these festivals serve as tourism economic engines, according to The Miami Herald. The McClatchy Media newspaper reported that Caribbean carnivals in the U.S.<\/a> collectively generate hundreds of millions of dollars. The multi-day Miami Carnival alone contributes over $127 million in regional economic impact.<\/p>\n

Laing expects a \u201csignificant” out-of-town presence for Charlotte\u2019s event. Early indicators are promising: a block of 75 rooms at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown, the host hotel, was fully booked by the end of last month.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarnival is freedom, it\u2019s culture, it\u2019s creativity, it\u2019s the community all in one,\u201d said Cece Thomas, a Caribbean band leader. \u201cIn Charlotte, carnival will bring diversity to the city, and it will create opportunity for local agencies and creators as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the four-day schedule of events:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do have an hour-and-a-half to two hours to complete the parade, so we\u2019re going to take our time getting there,\u201d Laing said. \u201cExpect a lively parade celebrating Caribbean culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

The “Village\u201d<\/a> at Victoria Yards is the parade\u2019s finish line with live entertainment, along with food and craft vendors. \u201cIt\u2019s just a day of enjoyment for the family,\u201d Laing said.<\/p>\n

The festival is an opportunity for the city\u2019s Caribbean community to get together and for others to learn more about the culture, said Thomas, a native of Islands of Trinidad and Tobago who grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and moved to Charlotte 10 years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want people to understand that Carnival is not just entertainment, it\u2019s an experience that builds community, it creates memory and keeps Caribbean culture alive,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n

The parade is free, but all other events are ticketed.<\/p>\n

\u201cCharlotte is a melting pot of cultures,\u201d Laing said. \u201cCarnival is one way to celebrate Caribbean people. This is going to be something that\u2019s going to be in Charlotte for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Projecting Carolina Panthers\u2019 initial 53-man roster ahead of 2026 training camp<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Queen City Caribbean Carnival in uptown Charlotte June 25-28 with parade, village and after-parties. Experience Caribbean food steel drums, colorful costumes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1702,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nCharlotte had, then lost, a Caribbean carnival. Now a reggae club owner has plans - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Charlotte had, then lost, a Caribbean carnival. Now a reggae club owner has plans - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Queen City Caribbean Carnival in uptown Charlotte June 25-28 with parade, village and after-parties. Experience Caribbean food steel drums, colorful costumes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-16T13:05:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=1703#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=1703\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"headline\":\"Charlotte had, then lost, a Caribbean carnival. Now a reggae club owner has plans\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-16T13:05:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=1703\"},\"wordCount\":740,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=1703#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/59e3494b9a9a412c2b7dc33024f4a790.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=1703#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=1703\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=1703\",\"name\":\"Charlotte had, then lost, a Caribbean carnival. Now a reggae club owner has plans - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=1703#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=1703#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/59e3494b9a9a412c2b7dc33024f4a790.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-16T13:05:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=1703#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=1703\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=1703#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/59e3494b9a9a412c2b7dc33024f4a790.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/59e3494b9a9a412c2b7dc33024f4a790.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":674},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=1703#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Charlotte had, then lost, a Caribbean carnival. Now a reggae club owner has plans\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Charlotte had, then lost, a Caribbean carnival. Now a reggae club owner has plans - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Charlotte had, then lost, a Caribbean carnival. Now a reggae club owner has plans - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","og_description":"Queen City Caribbean Carnival in uptown Charlotte June 25-28 with parade, village and after-parties. Experience Caribbean food steel drums, colorful costumes.","og_url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703","og_site_name":"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","article_published_time":"2026-06-16T13:05:29+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93"},"headline":"Charlotte had, then lost, a Caribbean carnival. Now a reggae club owner has plans","datePublished":"2026-06-16T13:05:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703"},"wordCount":740,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/59e3494b9a9a412c2b7dc33024f4a790.jpg","articleSection":["Read today's Edition"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703","url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703","name":"Charlotte had, then lost, a Caribbean carnival. Now a reggae club owner has plans - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/59e3494b9a9a412c2b7dc33024f4a790.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-16T13:05:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/59e3494b9a9a412c2b7dc33024f4a790.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/59e3494b9a9a412c2b7dc33024f4a790.jpg","width":1200,"height":674},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1703#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Charlotte had, then lost, a Caribbean carnival. Now a reggae club owner has plans"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/","name":"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com"],"url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1703\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}