Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway turned into a sea of feathers, sequins, and flags this Labor Day as more than a million people filled the streets for the 58th annual West Indian Day Parade.
The event, a cornerstone of Caribbean-American culture in New York, blended joyful celebration with heavy security and political undertones, as multiple mayoral hopefuls seized the moment to connect with voters.
The parade, organized by the West Indian American Day Carnival Association since 1967, capped off a weekend of Carnival festivities across the city. This year’s theme, “Vive Le Carnivale,” brought life to Crown Heights with eight hours of nonstop sound and color. The route stretched from Utica Avenue to Grand Army Plaza, with the Brooklyn Museum serving as the judging point for 18 competing masquerade bands.
Crowds began gathering well before sunrise for J’Ouvert—the daybreak street party rooted in Trinidadian tradition.
From 6 a.m., revelers covered in powder and paint signaled the start of Carnival. By late morning, the entire procession was in motion, featuring steelpan bands, soca and calypso music, and dancers representing countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Haiti, Guyana, Saint Lucia, Grenada, and Barbados.
Spectators described the parade as both a cultural anchor and a homecoming. “Everything that you need at home is here in Brooklyn, especially on Labor Day,” Carl Williams said to CBS News from the sidelines. “If you want your flag, your food—curry chicken, oxtail, anything—you’ll get it right here.”
Another attendee framed the day as a symbolic act: “Carnival is rebellion. We are free, we are on the road, we are celebrating with each other.”
The parade also doubled as a stage for politics. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa—each vying for City Hall—walked the route, greeting voters in between dance troupes and music trucks.
Cuomo posted on X, “Today, we celebrate the vibrant spirit of the West Indian community at the West Indian Day Parade! Your culture, contributions, and resilience are woven into the very fabric of what makes New York, New York.”
Their presence added a layer of competition to a day already filled with energy. For many spectators, the face-offs between candidates reflected the importance of Caribbean-American voices in shaping New York’s political future.
The sheer scale of the parade demanded a massive security operation. Mayor Eric Adams, who joined Carnival officials for the annual VIP breakfast before cutting the ribbon to open the parade officially, emphasized safety as the top priority.
“The West Indian Day Parade should be the best day in Brooklyn every year,” Adams said. “We’re taking every effort to keep the community safe during this event.”
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed the deployment was the city’s largest of the year—bigger than New Year’s Eve in Times Square or the July 4th fireworks. More than 13 security checkpoints lined the area, with handheld metal detectors screening spectators.
“There are currently no specific or credible threats against the West Indian Parade,” Tisch said, “but we will remain vigilant, like we always do.”
Tens of thousands of officers from various NYPD precincts were on the ground, as were some members of the Emergency Services Unit (ESU), who had recently been recognized for their rescue work during Hurricane Helene by The Washington Post and by Mayor Adams himself. The ESU units deployed to the area included K9s, who were tasked with corralling suspicious individuals at designated checkpoints.
For her part, Commissioner Tisch praised the Caribbean-American members of the NYPD specifically, saying, “There is no better way to celebrate Caribbean pride than with the Caribbean-American members of the NYPD.”
The parade was just the finale of a weekend stacked with Caribbean culture. On Friday, according to Time Out New York, Socafest at the Brooklyn Museum brought out Trinidadian star Kes, who told the crowd, “Carnival is identity for us. We try our best to bridge the gap between what we do in Trinidad and the world.”
Saturday spotlighted the next generation during the Junior Carnival, where kids in miniature costumes performed and collected school supplies. That night, steelpan bands from across the globe competed for bragging rights at Panorama, an annual tradition behind the museum.
Alongside the music and dancing, Brooklyn’s food scene played a central role. Nostrand Avenue’s Gee’s restaurant prepared for one of its busiest days of the year. “Everything that you miss in the Caribbean, we have it,” said Wayne Coc of Gee’s, highlighting the jerk chicken, doubles, and roti being served up across Crown Heights.
Road closures swept across Brooklyn for the two-mile parade route, affecting major streets including Flatbush Avenue, Empire Boulevard, and Ocean Avenue. Despite the traffic headaches, the turnout showed no signs of slowing.
By midday, Eastern Parkway was packed shoulder to shoulder, with flags waving for nearly every Caribbean nation. Cecille Ford, board secretary for the West Indian American Day Carnival Association, described the event as both celebratory and unifying. “This is the 58th anniversary, and it’s giving life to carnival and the Caribbean culture,” she said. “It’s about showing pride and love—and showing that we are all one.”
By evening, as the parade wrapped up near Grand Army Plaza, the legacy of the West Indian Day Parade was once again reaffirmed: a living, breathing reminder of the Caribbean diaspora’s impact on New York City, celebrated in full color, sound, and spirit.