Labor Day in Brooklyn means the West Indian Day Parade, the annual Caribbean carnival celebration full of music, dancing, and colorful body paint or powder.
But none of that happens without J’ouvert first.
J’ouvert—French for daybreak—is a street event that occurs in the early hours of the morning before the sun rises. Seven years ago, the VICE documentary “J’ouvert: Brooklyn’s Dirty Masquerade” spotlighted the event.
J’ouvert traces its origins to Trinidad and Tobago in 1783, where it had a carnival-like atmosphere for enslaved people who otherwise weren’t able to attend masquerade balls. Following emancipation in 1838, J’ouvert lived on as a tribute to the island’s heritage and a way to celebrate their freedom.
Attendees can expect to see dancing, steel bands, DJs, and bright colors lining vendors, costumes, and everything in between. J’ouvert isn’t solely held in Brooklyn—many other cities across the country participate with their own events.
At times, Brooklyn’s J’ouvert celebration has unfortunately taken a dark turn. When the documentary was being filmed, there had been over 21 shootings in the past decade surrounding the event—most notably in 2015, when Carey Gabay, an aide of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was killed in a crossfire between rival gangs.
“A lot of old-school immigrants who still have one foot in Trinidad lament that the young Caribbean Americans have tarnished J’ouvert’s reputation with violence,” said filmmaker Wilbert L. Cooper.
In 2023, the NY Post reported that J’ouvert was violence-free “for a second year in a row”—though the West Indian Day Carnival parade route later in the day saw two people shot. Hopefully, this can be a third straight year of a safe J’ouvert.
The post Inside J’ouvert, the Wild Pre-Dawn Celebration That Launches Caribbean Carnival appeared first on VICE.
The post Inside J’ouvert, the Wild Pre-Dawn Celebration That Launches Caribbean Carnival appeared first on VICE.
