NEW YORK (AP) — On Monday, New York City kicked off its vibrant West Indian American Day Parade, which brought together thousands of participants dancing and marching through Brooklyn. This event is one of the largest celebrations of Caribbean culture in the world.
The annual Labor Day parade, now celebrating its 57th year, transforms Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn into a lively display filled with extravagant costumes adorned with feathers and bright flags. Participants joyfully make their way down the street, accompanied by floats loaded with speakers blaring soca and reggae music.
This popular event attracts large crowds who line the nearly 2-mile (3.2-kilometer) parade route that stretches from Crown Heights to the Brooklyn Museum. It has also become a favored gathering spot for local politicians, many of whom share West Indian roots or represent the city’s significant Caribbean population.
The origins of the parade trace back to traditional pre-Lent Carnival celebrations initiated by a Trinidadian immigrant in Manhattan about a century ago, according to its organizers. In the 1940s, the festivities were moved to coincide with warmer weather.
Brooklyn, home to hundreds of thousands of Caribbean immigrants and their descendants, started hosting the parade during the 1960s.
The Labor Day parade is now the highlight of several days filled with carnival activities in the city, which also features a steel pan band competition and J’Ouvert—a separate street party that celebrates freedom from slavery.
