By Ricky Richardson | Contributing Writer
Los Angeles, CA – Caribbean Heritage is celebrated across the globe beginning in June. Some events are held in August and September. Truth be told, Caribbean Heritage is celebrated all year long!!!
On Saturday, September 12, a large, diverse, multicultural crowd of revelers, aka, party people, attended the annual Caribbean Heritage Festival in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Carnival, a nonprofit organization, collaborated with the City of Los Angeles and Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Council District 8, to present the 2026 Caribbean Heritage Festival. Additional support came from the Office of MHD-CD8, Curren D. Price, Jr. (The New 9th), Heather Hutt, CD10, Hugo Soto-Martinez, CD13, Hollywood Carnival and the Department of Cultural Affairs.
This iteration of the Caribbean Heritage Festival offered attendees a fun-filled afternoon with sights, sounds, flavors, and energy of the Caribbean through music, food, dancing, and other cultural expressions.
The festivities were held on the upper deck parking lot of the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw, 3650 W. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. Los Angeles, CA. 90008. The festival was once again held in Leimert Park Village, the epicenter of the African American community in the beautiful City of Angels.
Caribbean Heritage Festival brought together the rich diversity of the Caribbean with live music, dance performances, authentic cuisine, cultural exhibits, arts and crafts, and local businesses selling Caribbean apparel and other accessories.
It’s inevitable for guests to build up an appetite while moving and grooving to the infectious sounds emanating from the stage. The Infatuation curated a smorgasbord of tasty food options. Food vendors on site were Tev’s Kitchen, Brigeton Roti, Earles on Crenshaw, Kitchen Corner BBQ, Marathon Burger, Trinistyle Caribbean Cuisine, Island to Table Patties, On Pointt, BestSisBobas, Coffee Del Mundo and Lindo Sorrell. I’m not sure if this list of restaurants doesn’t make you hungry; I don’t know what else will!
The 2026 Caribbean Heritage Festival was an amazing celebration of Culture, Community, Unity, and Diversity, as “One World, One People.” A diverse crowd from many countries showed up and showed out during the Roll Call: Anguilla, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Granada, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago, to name a few.
Festival revelers, aka, party people, were set to be thoroughly entertained by an impressive, stellar lineup of local, national, and international artists.
Mysta Crooks and Racquel Marshal co-hosted the event as emcees. DJ Selecta EZB was back on the ones and twos to kick off the exciting and exhilarating party with an explosive soundtrack of the Caribbean diaspora.
BZ Royalz is a popular, local Belizean band. They got the live portion of the entertainment underway with an upbeat set of Reggae and Soca to the delight of early arrivals.
Cynthia Diaz has made a name for herself as an in-demand makeup artist, influencer, and singer/songwriter. She thrilled the crowd with some original tracks of Cumbia and Reggaeton.
Raiz Brazil, led by Jonia and her fellow dancers, took the crowd and me through Brazil with a fantabulous program of Samba.
Studio Creativo was another highlight of the festival. This segment of the show showcased some dazzling and mesmerizing costumes by Celebrity designer Marvin Bendana.
Einstein Brown got the crowd revved up with a high-octane set of Reggae, calypso, Soca, and a dash of ska to the delight of the movement of the dancers on the dance floor.
The lineage of Reggae royalty was in the house; Bambaata Marley is the son of Ziggy Marley and the eldest grandson of Bob Marley. He brought a lot of positive energy and a message of unifying love throughout his time in the spotlight.
DJ Int’l Stephen cranked up the energy as the party went up to another level. He provided the soundtrack for the lively, colorful, and vibrant Carnival Parade.
Singer/Songwriter Rikki Jai had the crowd in the palm of his hands, resulting in a crowded dance floor for his crowd-pleasing set.
The crowd’s patience was rewarded with an unforgettable headlining set by Voice the Artiste. This set contributed to the success of this year’s iteration of the Caribbean Heritage Festival and concluded it on a high note.
I’m happy to share with you that the party doesn’t end yet! The Caribbean Heritage Festival is a perfect segue into Hispanic Heritage Month as well as Independence Day for several countries in Central America and North America.
Google search Caribbean Heritage Festival Los Angeles, click on the Videos link to view some wonderful videos of the festival on Instagram. You might be able to see some pictures posted online of the festival.