Afro Caribbean Carnival 2026
Booming bass thrumming through supercharged stacks of towering speakers – dive into sound system subculture in this free, massive, day-to-night dance party, featuring international headliners Sister Nancy and General Levy and some of Melbourne’s most exciting sound systems.
It wouldn’t be Carnival without the food – Swanston Street Forecourt will be a haven of mouthwatering Afro-Caribbean and African favourites, including The Real Jerk, Vola Foods and Braz Oz Brazilian BBQ.
Free and open to all – come ready to dance!
Presented by Fed Square and Stick Mareebo Productions, as part of Open Air at the Square.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Sister Nancy (aka ‘Muma Nancy’) emerged from a musical family and became one of dancehall’s most formidable voices. Encouraged early by her brother, iconic DJ Brigadier Jerry, she began performing on sound systems in her teens – becoming a rare woman on-mic DJ in a heavily male-dominated scene. In 1982, she released One Two, the LP that features her enduring anthem ‘Bam Bam’, which has since become one of the most sampled reggae tracks of all time. Over the decades, Queen of the Dancehall Sister Nancy has been a trailblazer and inspiration to generations of artists. With over forty years in the game, Sister Nancy remains a living legend of dancehall and sound system culture.
Born in London in 1971, General Levy is one of the UK’s most prolific ragga-jungle MCs and sound system veterans. Growing up in Harlesden and Wembley, he cut his teeth on London’s sound system circuit before breaking into the studio scene in the early ’90s. In 1994, his collaboration with jungle producer M-Beat on ‘Incredible’ became one of the first jungle tracks to enter the UK Top 10, launching him into the mainstream. Since then, Levy has navigated seamlessly between reggae, dancehall, jungle and drum and bass with his rapid-fire delivery, sharp lyrical edge and commanding presence. He’s collaborated with heavyweight producers and artists across genres and continues to influence new generations of artists while holding legendary status in the UK and beyond.
New Flower is a vintage high-fidelity sound system based in Melbourne. Built on the principles of pure analogue sound design, New Flower echoes the immersive listening experiences of Japan’s Jazz Kissa culture and iconic high-fidelity club sound systems – delivering an exceptional auditory experience of powerful analogue warmth.
Conceived by Tom Noonan, one of the minds behind El Gran Mono, the first picó sound system built outside Colombia, New Flower collaborates with artists, selectors, and creatives to curate activations that prioritise high-fidelity audio across diverse genres. Less concerned with adhering to a singular style, it centres the artistry of sound itself: how it is presented, experienced, and remembered.
Performing on New Flower will be afro-electronic artist DJ Dijok, joined by the sublime vocalist AKOSIA and live percussion.
General Feeling sound system doesn’t prescribe to a single sound and has been used to amplify many community events in and around Naarm, Melbourne since 2014. These events include the Contemporary Pacific Art Festival at the Footscray Community Arts Centre, Listen Collective’s feminist music events, Barrio//Baryo, a Filipino and Salvadoran collaboration, Yarra Youth Services community Block party and various sheds, warehouses and car parks, and always showcasing a great variety of talented selectors. The set up of General Feeling sound system above all is about maintaining the ethos of world-building through solidarities and experimentations.
One of Melbourne’s youngest sound systems, Yabai Hifi is built by Guam-born, Aotearoa (New Zealand)-raised and Naarm (Melbourne)-based artist Jacks (Seb) Stewart. Yabai Hifi has been built with a love of Black music, particularly reggae and dub. Inspired by the renegade and DIY sound system cultures of Aotearoa and Naarm, Yabai Hifi is a multi-genre sound encompassing community and I&l values.