The West Indian American Day Carnival Parade
returns to Eastern Parkway on Monday and is expected to again
draw more than a million spectators and revelers. On Sept. 4,
costumed dancers will fill the streets of Crown Heights and Prospect
Heights.
Thousands of vendors will also throng the busy streets, selling
Caribbean food, clothing and art.
West Indian American Day Carnival Association President Yolanda
Lezama-Clark explained the annual event’s enduring appeal: "Carnival
is about music. It’s about color and pageantry."
Marching Director Jean Alexander told GO Brooklyn that there
will be more costumes this year, but the parade’s theme, which
will emphasize the cultural connection between Mardi Gras and
Carnival, is – in part – a somber one.
Said Alexander, "We want to bring attention to the plight
of those in New Orleans who are still suffering – and that’s
most of them."
The 2006 Carnival Parade begins at 11 am on Sept. 4 at Rochester
Avenue and Eastern Parkway. The parade travels along Eastern
Parkway to Grand Army Plaza, and turns onto Flatbush Avenue,
continuing to Empire Boulevard. For more information, call the
Caribbean American Center of New York at (718) 625-1515.
