Labour Day Carnival

Posted: 5th Sep 2009

Whether you know it as West Indian Carnival or Labour Day Carnival, New York is getting ready for this years biggest event in the calendar, taking place on Monday the 7^th September 2009.

The annual celebration is held in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. It's main event is the parade, which attracts anything between one and three million people from all over the United States, Canada and the West Indies. This very large parade is held on American Labour Day, always on the first Monday in the month of September and it also marks the end of summer in New York.

This year will see the Caribbean community celebrating the 42^nd anniversary of the parade.

Labour Day Carnival was first established by Ms Jessie Waddle and some of her West Indian friends back in the 1920s. They staged costume parties in large enclosed places, due the cold winter weather of February. This would be the usual time for the celebrations held in most countries around the world. Due to the nature of Carnival and the need to parade in costume to the sound of music, the indoor environment did not work.

Carnival Street parade was then first held on the 1^st of September 1947, which was held in Harlem.

Today you can see the celebrations as it continues to be New York City’s biggest cultural festival. Your guaranteed to see crowds of waving flags from all of the West Indian islands and your even invited to participate in the parade, by jumping up behind a band or tasting the authentic foods of the Caribbean.

This weekend will also see other events organised from Kids Carnival, Dimanche Gras, J’ouvert and a celebration of the steel pans.

The parade will be starting from 11:00am to 18:00pm at Brooklyn Prospect Park and the  floats will be leaving from Utica Avenue and Eastern Parkway and best of all it is absolutely Free.

Written By Nadia Auckburally