Written by: Albert Terc
Photos by: Albert Terc
The West Indian Day Parade on Labor Day is unlike any other parade in NYC. Of course, all parades are different but none offer the sights, sounds and aromas that fully represent their culture like this one. From the moment you step on Eastern Parkway, the appealing scent of seasoned meats being grilled, cooked rice and peas, fried fish, roti, and many more delicious foods coming from the kiosks on both sides of the parade route, draw you into the festive mood of the spectacular event. Most parades have floats that show people dressed in traditional cultural dress or a corporate sponsor with popular personalities on board. The West Indian Parade has tractor trailers with huge speakers blasting people’s favorite songs to get them dancing and celebrating their culture.
The first part of the parade is filled with politicians from NY coming out to wave to the crowd. In prior years Mayor Eric Adams went from one side of the Parkway to the other shaking hands and taking selfies. This year, the Mayor walked behind his Mayor banner and hardly waved to the crowd. The one politician that was having a fun time was NY Attorney General, Leticia James. One would think she would be happy with all the legal victories she has claimed for NYers this year. The second part has floats from local unions and corporate sponsors as well as community groups. A favorite group of mine always has the best clothes design of the parade. This years the theme was Wedding Gowns and Suits from traditional weddings from Tobago. Once the Catholic Charities group passes by, that’s when all hell breaks loose. The big draw for this parade are the masqueraders and their costumes. There are small and large groups that try to sway favor from the judges situated in front of the Brooklyn Museum. Tractor trailers with huge speakers blaring some fun tunes attract revelers to march right next to them. Masqueraders of that group are separated from the followers so people can see the details that go along with many of these costumes.
One group that had the most colorful feathers and brightest display was the Tribes of the World float. They were pretty good. There was a large group with lots of Dancing Butterflies. They were fun to watch. A new crowd favorite is Sesame Carnaval with some really good dancers trying to impress the judges. One group that had lots of energy were the Sesame Flyers. They were amazing. One of the best groups with nice choreography were the Sugar Candy float. There was plenty of eye candy in the different sections presenting. Carnaval time is too cold in NYC for this kind of event to take place so it’s celebrated during the warmer months. One thing I can say is the West Indian people party hard and play hard. Unfortunately, there was an incident that marred the festive day. A shooter took aim at the crowd and fired a pistol. 1 person died and 5 others injured. Thankfully, NYPD was quick to respond and subdue the shooter right away. NYPD had every right to shut down the parade after this incident but decided to keep it moving and handle that situation they know best. With well over 1 million people in attendance, it was the right thing to do. Outside of that incident, it was a festive day with a proud display of West Indian culture.
NYC Parade Life 