Queen of the Parade
The scorching heatwave could not stop over 1 million people from lining up the parade route on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn where the smells of spicy foods made you feel as though you were on the shores of Kingston, Jamaica or Barbados or Trinidad. As hot as it was, the beach would have been a suitable alternative but the asphalt and cement of Brooklyn played host to the 48th annual West Indian Day Parade. A loud celebration of culture, tradition and lots of colorful costumes. As usual the first hour of the long parade is held mostly by local politicians including Gov. Andrew Cuomo ,NYC Mayor DeBlasio, City Council members and parade dignitaries and VIPs. Soon after the politicians shook hands, community groups and activists displayed messages to help raise awareness of social issues impacting their community. Brooklyn is home to one of the largest West Indian community in the US. A group of activists marched with large banners denouncing the recent immigration laws in the Dominican Republic that discriminate against Haitians. Another group pushed for anti- gentrification of Brooklyn while another group displayed photos of people murdered at the hands of police. A group from Dominica really got the crowd worked up with a lively drum band. The groups representation was less than anticipated because of the damage done by Hurricane Erika. After a local religious group sang their songs of praise to the revelers, all hell broke loose.
Dominica Visits the Parade
Kingly Costume
Queen from Massachusetts
The first of 40 tractor trailers with monster speakers got the crowd worked up with lots of soca and dance music. It really felt like Carnival. Many masqueraders dressed in their group theme with some amazing costumes that left very little to the imagination. That beach scene was relived all over again. One group from Massachusetts displayed an all white costumes and the king and queen were quite impressive. A smaller group, The Immortals, had some good fast music going for everyone to dance to. A similar group, 500 Strong, had some of the best dancers. One large group, Kaois Mas, really had some energetic masqueraders and great costumes. But they were really getting things warmed up for another large group that won prizes for Queen of the Parade. Sesame Carnival with an Egyptian Royal theme really had a leg up on the rest of the competition. Their performance to the judges was quite extraordinary. For some reason the pace of the parade was slower than in previous years and the gaps were plentiful this time around. Aside for a few police matters, the parade was a smashing success.
NYC Parade Life 
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