Toronto International Samba Reggae Festival Workshops Reel

Get ready for the next edition of the International Samba Reggae Festival, coming to Toronto June 8 to 11, 2023 as part of the annual Do West Fest in Toronto's lively Little Portugal neighbourhood.

The inaugural 4-day Toronto International Samba Reggae Festival in 2023 was the first of its kind in Canada and athered more than 100 samba reggae drummers, including artists from across Canada, Brazil, the United States and Bermuda, to transform the streets of Toronto into a Canadian/Brazilian Bahian Carnival!

The opening night of the 2022 festival and many of the drumming workshops took place at Lula Lounge, a venue that has served Toronto communities providing a home to local & international salsa, jazz & global music for the past twenty years.

With a parade, workshops by metres, masterclasses and a closing night dance party, the festival deepened the participants knowledge and appreciation for the samba reggae genre.

The opening evening featured leading figures in the international samba reggae movement including Mestre Memeu (leader of Olodum for more than twenty-five years), Adriana Portela (the first woman to lead an all female samba reggae ensemble, Banda Didá), Mateus Vidal (Olodum) abd Marcos Costa (Ilê Aiyê) alongside local artists such as Tdot Batu and celebrated samba vocalist CIbele Iglesisas.

This reel shows a glimpse of some of the workshops provided by Mestres Memeu and Adriana Portela.

Presented by Lula Music and Arts Centre in collaboration with Tdot Batu, Big on Floor and Uma Nota Culture, the 2022 festival was enjoyed by more than 10,000 participants and made possible by generous funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Creates, The Toronto Arts Council, The Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Trillium Foundation and Canadian Heritage,.

Festival curation by Patricio Martinez
Filmed by Pasky Photography and edited by Mélanie Lentin