West Indian Day Parade
west indian day parade carnival annual celebration west indian culture held annually around first monday september crown height neighborhood brooklyn new york city organized west indian american day carnival association wiadca main event west indian day parade also known simply labor day parade attracts one three million participant spectator participators watch follow parade route along eastern parkway west indian caribbean island represented parade include trinidad tobago haiti barbados dominica saint lucia jamaica saint vincent grenada along afropanamanians mainland caribbean country guyana suriname belize also participate well jessie waddell west indian friend started carnival harlem upper manhattan new york city staging costume party large enclosed place savoy renaissance audubon ballroom due cold wintry weather february usual time prelenten celebration trinidad tobago carnival related celebration around world however nature carnival need parade costume music indoor confinement work well earliest known carnival street parade held september trinidad carnival pageant committee founding force behind parade held harlem parade route along seventh avenue starting th st first carnival queen dorothy godfrey committee raised money finance parade sold advertisement space booster printed souvenir journal west indie day booklet memento first parade jessie waddell compton presented journal person whose inspiration enterprise owed formation committee committee consisted waddell compton chairman ivan h daniel vice chairman conrad matthew treasurer roy huggins secretary robert j welsh assistant secretary member committee contributed helping organize parade afterparade party trinidad carnival pageant committee held golden gate ballroom arranged james green another figure helped make first carnival parade harlem successful permit harlem parade revoked five year later committee headed carlos lezama eventually became west indianamerican day carnival association obtained approval parade established eastern parkway brooklyn remains today throughout group colorfully clad masquerader “mas bands” “wined” danced parkway music trinidadstyle steel band steelpan steel band eventually replaced powerful truckmounted sound system played variety caribbean music including calypso soca soulcalypso reggae compas parade cancelled due covid order mayor new york bill de blasio canceled permit largescale event september parade replaced virtual event parade plan return august year wiadca announced parade would cancelled due covid uncertainty would still hold mix inperson streaming event including several held brooklyn museum many calypso soca song trinidad make reference labor day carnival including gun play de parkway calypso rose melee eastern parkway maestro labor day jam guyanese superstar slingshot labor day brooklyn mighty sparrow jayz mention labor day carnival hit song empire state mind say dice ceelo card monte labor day parade rest peace bob marley also popular haitian band powerful meringuecompas music parkway tvice tabou combo konpa kreyolkreyol la sweet micky phantom carimi djakout dp express many popular band string fatal nonfatal shooting stabbings occurred near parade route recent year following parade man fatally shot another stabbed neck one man shot killed along parade route one man shot another stabbed parade one official report violence man shot twice leg however different man named nathaniel smith shot killed parade predawn march took violent turn murder one person five instance gunshot victim three instance stabbings coupled sporadic shooting crowd people following parade yolanda lezamaclark president west indian american day carnival association wiadca new york city official condemned one two incident took place parade additionally west indian day parade brooklyn new york city councilman jumaane williams along others arrested walking along closedoff sidewalk stating received permission officer several violent incident took place official end parade separate incident two people fatally stabbed two others shot two men murdered three individual wounded several shooting september preparade jouvert celebration marred violence gunfire hit lawyer carey gabay head gabay aide new york governor andrew cuomo first deputy counsel empire state development corporation gabay died nine day later shooting one several violent episode including fatal stabbing hour parade september preparade celebration two people shot killed five others wounded attack attack occurred despite nypd doubling number officer patrolling neighborhood installing new security camera erecting light tower police also distributed flier conjunction community group blunt message community longer tolerate violence shoot anyone stab anyone september one male accidentally shot eastern parkway franklin avenue another incident one male shot two stabbed slashed fight eastern parkway september mass shooting occurred lone gunman jumped onto street divider fired crowd striking five people parade spectator victim aged year old one victim fatally shot caribbean carnival jouvert scotiabank caribbean carnival toronto manuel peter caribbean current caribbean music rumba reggae philadelphia temple university press isbn west indianamerican day carnival association wiadca official website jouvert west indian american day carnival nycgov map neighborhood brooklyn official nyc company website brooklyn ny festival fair event september official brooklyn tourism visitor center archived may wayback machine website