Magic City Caribbean Food and Music Festival gets Birmingham moving

From the hoola-hoop fun and line dancing to Zumba exercise and grooving with Revolution Reggae Band, the Magic City Caribbean Food and Music Festival got hundreds of people moving on Saturday, June 9, from 11 a.m. all the way to 7 p.m. at Linn Park. 

Throughout the day, families stood in lines to buy sizzling, fresh entrees and snacks that ranged from Latin and Cajun food to Jamaican and Caribbean food. Snowball and shaved ice were popular choices for the hot day, including pina colada and daiquiri mixes in freshly-cut coconuts. Faces were painted, dancing was taught and merchandisers sold jewelry and other items.  

The event is put on each year by the Central Alabama Caribbean American Organization (CACAO), which is a nonprofit established in 2011 so that the "local Caribbean community could gather and meet and to share the Caribbean culture with the city of Birmingham and its surrounding areas," according to the website. 

For more information, go to cacaoonline.org.