Flags from across the Caribbean diaspora waved in the wind: Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Jamaica, Haiti. Heavy bass rhythms thundered from all directions. And feathers, glitter and elaborate costumes filled a typically bustling Brooklyn thruway.
It was all part of the 58th annual West Indian American Day Parade, a Labor Day tradition that honors Caribbean heritage and culture at the conclusion of a weekend of Carnival festivities. Earlier, thousands splashed paint and powder on their bodies for J’ouvert, a predawn ritual that commemorates emancipation from enslavement in the Caribbean and is a spirited start to the parade.
This year, the extravaganza’s theme was “Vive Le Carnivale,” in recognition of the celebration’s enduring presence in Central Brooklyn.
More than one million costumed revelers typically take to the streets across a roughly two-mile parade route, which stretches from Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights to Grand Army Plaza near Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum.
Among them on Monday was Collene Bridgeman, who was born in Grenada and moved to Brooklyn at 15. She marched toward the head of the parade, drenched in a resinous black paint, while her friends carried chains and wore horns on their heads.
Ms. Bridgeman said the display was a tradition in Grenada, intended to transform the stereotypical image of a Black slave into a satirical and empowered celebration.
“The color black — on my body, my clothes — it all has meaning,” said Ms. Bridgeman, 38, who lives in Crown Heights and attends the festivities each year. “It’s a feeling. And this is how we celebrate that liberation in the Caribbean.”
Throughout the parade route, the smell of jerk chicken and smoke from barbecues permeated the air. Troupes of drummers marched in unison alongside huge vibrant floats.
Under pop-up awnings, vendors sold West African-style dresses, handbags and dishes like seafood grits, fried catfish, callaloo, sliced mango and chicken patties. Deisia Hopkins, 32, wore a Jamaican flag bandanna as she handed out rum punch from a cooler and picked at a plate of red snapper from a nearby stand.
It was her fifth straight year attending the parade.
Ms. Hopkins, who had traveled from New Jersey to celebrate, said that her philosophy was simple: “Meet new people, make money, have a good time.”
In several previous years, the festivities have been tainted by gun violence. On Monday, an army of officers stood guard along metal barricades as a Police Department helicopter whirred overhead. The police said around 2 p.m. that no arrests had been made.
Nikki Taylor, 32, enjoyed the day and said she appreciated that the parade allowed her to experience other cultures.
“It just feels good to be in another world temporarily,” said Ms. Taylor, who lives in Crown Heights and was taking her daughter, Shaniya, to the parade for the first time. “It’s wonderful.”
Nate Schweber contributed reporting.
Troy Closson is a Times education reporter focusing on K-12 schools.
Vincent Alban is a photojournalist and a member of the 2025-26 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.
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