Atlantic Mas: The Newest Addition to Toronto’s Caribbean Carnival Empowers the Next Generation to Embrace Entrepreneurship and Promote Healthy Living.

TORONTO --(BUSINESS WIRE)— The ranks of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival’s staple Masquerade Bands, each of whom design, manufacture, advertise, and sell the powerfully beautiful Mas costumes at the heart of the parade. As a younger, building an all inclusive experience alongside added security measures for masqueraders, Atlantic Mas will be meticulously involved in operations to ensure a safe and memorable experience for their sections. Atlantic Mas Toronto will encourage the new generation of dynamic young people to become actively hands on within the Caribbean Carnival, fostering pathways to positive growth.

Bandleader Gordon Heywood, assembled a powerhouse support team of young professionals including management consultants, fashion designers, travel agents, HR specialists, entertainers, construction workers, visual artists, event promoters and city youth outreach workers. In bringing diverse skill sets together, Mr. Heywood seeks to engage youth leadership. In doing so, we ensure continued celebration of Caribbean culture and beauty absent of stigmatization. Not only is Atlantic Mas a collaborative of role models, at their core they are committed to showing Toronto what diverse young people are capable of when they mobilize toward positive goals. Teaching that even in the workforce, when they embrace what they love, opportunity is created.

The Mas Camp itself is designed to offer young people the opportunity to learn through employment in the execution of production, marketing, and sales of costumes. On site workshops and positive youth engagement will give an entire new generation of young people an appreciation not only for the cultural beauty of the Caribbean Carnival, but the relationship to commerce.

Atlantic Mas is committed to showing the creativity and positive impact we can have as urban professionals within our community by engaging the next generation and creating an inclusive experience for people from all over the world in our great city of Toronto.

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Atlantic Mas is one of the 12 competitive masquerader bands in the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, formerly known as Caribana.

As first generation Canadians, with parental heritage from various Caribbean islands, Atlantic Mas has accepted the responsibility as keepers of culture within the mosaic of Toronto. In order to provide our masqueraders with an upscale carnival experience, we design, market, and create elaborate costumes 4-5 months before they are ready for purchase.

Atlantic Mas is Also the only band that does Events all year, for example: 

• Carnival Ski Weekend (Blue Mountain)
• Carnival Island Festival (Halans Point)
• Monthly Brunch events (private patios in the gta)
• Yearly Concert at Rebel 

Quickly growing a huge reputation as the next big thing, Gordon Ak Heywood, the CEO of Atlantic Mas and also a member of the pivotal Hip Hop Movement “Reps Up and OVO” has put together a team of some of Toronto’s young taste-makers to promote his brand. 

Atlantic mas has created an all-inclusive experience for our masqueraders and party-goers. To begin with we have to open seasonally a unique facility for the construction and sale of costumes! At the facility known as the Mas Camp, Atlantic mas holds events geared towards bringing the community together and also to bring new masqueraders to their first Mas Camp experience.

Since 2016, Atlantic Mas started getting involved directly in our community by hiring approximately 30 youth employees. We are able to provide quick contract based employment opportunities and we are also able to help several youth earn the necessary 40 community service hours to graduate from high school. Furthering our support of young people getting themselves educated.

Over the years Atlantic Mas has received an immense amount of attention from media outlets such as, City TV, CTV, CP24, Caribbean Vibrations as well as from our own social media Instagram/Facebook. Some of our associates from OVO and Reps Up also support by posting Atlantic Mas Material on their social media.