BROOKLYN (PIX11) — The 59th annual Carnival Week is getting underway in Brooklyn, with organizers promising several days of music, culture, costumes and Caribbean pride leading up to the West Indian American Day Carnival Parade on Labor Day.
This year’s theme is “Music, Action, Soul,” or M.A.S.
Behind the Brooklyn Museum, crews were busy Thursday building a stage and preparing the grounds as food vendors got ready for the first major event of the week: Blocko Mania, a celebration of Soca music and Caribbean culture.
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“What’s not going on tonight? This is the opening of the 59th carnival week,” said Rhea Smith, a board member and vice president of the West Indian American Day Carnival Association.
The festivities continue Friday with the Soca Music Festival. Saturday’s events are geared toward families and young people, including Youth Fest and Junior Carnival, where children will take to the parkway in Caribbean-inspired costumes.
“Expect all of our youth to be on the parkway, parading their costumes and their wonderful, wonderful Caribbean cultural garments,” Smith said.
Saturday night will feature New York Panorama, the annual steel pan competition that brings together musicians and supporters from across the Caribbean community.
Organizers and security officials are also preparing for large crowds throughout the weekend and on Labor Day. SJ Solutions Security and Protection Services surveyed the event area behind the Brooklyn Museum as construction crews finished setting up.
“We’re trying to make sure that we’re dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s so that we have a safe event,” said Omo Wale St. Juste, CEO of SJ Solutions Security and Protection Services.
Security personnel will cover the events behind the museum as well as portions of Monday’s parade route.
The West Indian American Day Carnival Parade will travel along Eastern Parkway through Crown Heights and toward Grand Army Plaza.
For Smith and other organizers, the week represents more than entertainment.
“This is not a late-night party,” Smith said. “It is a wonderful, wonderful presentation of Caribbean culture with pride. Bring your flags, wear your rags, bring your costumes, and more importantly, bring your energy.”
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