Caribbean culture comes to Dagenham for food festival
Kashif da Flash (Andrew Bello) performing at the Afro-Carribean festival at Parsloes Park in Dagenham - Credit: Archant
There was a Caribbean vibe about Parsloes Park on Saturday afternoon.
More than 1,500 people headed down to the Dagenham park for the African Caribbean food festival to enjoy the traditional dishes, reggae music, dance workshops and performances on offer.
And the fun didn’t stop there as the African showcase market group set up cultural workshops, a fun fair and inflatables for children to play on.
Ola Mustapha, who owns the African showcase market, said: “We had perfect weather for the outdoor event and we thought it was peaceful and enjoyable.
“We were expecting more people but were pleased with what we had and all the traders want to know when we are going to do it again.”
The community-led event gave an insight to different cultures with a wide range of workshops and activities.
These included an opportunity to learn how to play the drums and ayo, an African board game, as well as take part in a head wrapping workshop.
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And there was also music from a steel pan band and a DJ at the popular event.
Council leader Cllr Darren Rodwell said: “It was another amazing event organised by our residents to celebrate the borough’s 50th anniversary.
“I was pleased to see residents all come together to learn about each other’s cultures.”
