New York City’s annual West Indian American Day Carnival and Parade returns to Brooklyn this Labor Day weekend.
“This is the 58th anniversary, and it’s Vive Le Carnivale for 2025, giving life to carnival and the Caribbean culture,” said Cecille Ford, board secretary for the West Indian American Day Carnival Association.
Here’s what to know about the 2025 celebration, including a route map and street closures.
Map shows 2025 West Indian Day Parade route
CBS New York
The parade in Crown Heights starts at Utica Avenue near Lincoln Terrace Park. It travels west on Eastern Parkway to Grand Army Plaza, ending near the Brooklyn Museum and Prospect Park.
The roughly two-mile route is typically lined with more than a million spectators and has more than a dozen security checkpoints.
West Indian Day Parade street closures in Brooklyn
Street closures for the festivities begin Sunday and last through Monday, at the discretion of police, the New York City Department of Transportation says.
The following closures will be in effect:
- Grand Army Plaza (Entire Circle)
- Butler Place between Grand Army Plaza and Sterling Place
- St. Johns Place between Underhill Avenue and Grand Army Plaza
- Flatbush Avenue between Grand Army Plaza and Caton Avenue
- Washington Avenue between Sterling Place and Lincoln Road
- Bedford Avenue between Eastern Parkway and Empire Boulevard
- Rochester Avenue between East New York Avenue and Sterling Place
- Buffalo Avenue between Eastern Parkway and East New York Avenue
- Ralph Avenue between Eastern Parkway and East New York Avenue
- Ocean Avenue between Empire Boulevard and Parkside Avenue
- Nostrand Avenue between Empire Boulevard and Linden Boulevard
- Eastern Parkway (Main & Service Roads) between Plaza Street East and Howard Avenue
- Lincoln Place between Eastern Parkway and East New York Avenue
- Rockaway Parkway between East New York Avenue and Rutland Road
- East New York Avenue between Howard Avenue and Utica Avenue
- Empire Boulevard between Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue
- Parkside Avenue between Park Circle and Flatbush Avenue
What time does the NYC West Indian Day Parade start?
The parade steps off at 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 1. It’s held each year on Labor Day after the pre-dawn celebration known as J’Ouvert.
The parade usually lasts several hours before wrapping up around 6 p.m.
NYPD stepping up presence along Eastern Parkway
The NYPD says more security will be in place for this year’s parade than ever before.
“This will be the largest police deployment of the year — even bigger than our deployments for New Year’s Eve in Times Square, even bigger than our deployments for July 4th,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Friday.
Last year’s parade was marred by gun violence when a shooting broke out, killing one person and injuring four others. According to the NYPD, the shooting was gang related.
Police said a gunman fired his weapon into a crowded sidewalk near Eastern Parkway between Classon and Franklin avenues. A 25-year-old man from Texas was struck in the abdomen and later died from his injuries. Four other victims, ranging in age from 16 to 69, were hurt.
What is J’Ouvert? The meaning explained
J’Ouvert comes from the French phrase, “jour ouvert,” meaning daybreak or morning.
The early morning celebration starts before dawn, around 6 a.m., signaling the beginning of Carnival.
The festival celebrates the vast Caribbean diaspora with elaborate costumes, street band music, dancing and more.
West Indian countries kicking off Carnival
Caribbean pride will be on display at events all weekend long, including a Soca music festival, a Junior Carnival Parade and the annual Panorama steelpan festival.
Soca star Kes, who has provided some of the most dominant carnival anthems of the century, performed at a music festival at the Brooklyn Museum on Friday night.
“Carnival is identity for us,” he said. “We really try our best to bridge the gap between what we do in Trinidad and the world, and for people to really understand it from a different perspective.”
While the party is on the parkway, the taste of the islands will be on plates. Local restaurants, like Gee’s on Nostrand Avenue, are preparing for big crowds.
“We’re known for Caribbean dishes,” said Wayne Coc, at Gee’s. “Everything that you miss in the Caribbean, we have it.”
Saturday, kids took center stage during Youth Fest, part of the Junior Carnival events. It was held behind the Brooklyn Museum and included performances, backpack giveaways and lots of food.
Later that night, for the 58th year, steelpan drum bands from across the world hit the stage, serving up harmony and rhythm while vying for prize money and bragging rights.
The West Indies are made up of three parts: the Greater Antilles, which includes Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico; the Lesser Antilles, including the Virgin Islands, Saint Lucia, Barbados and Grenada, among others; and the grouping of islands that includes the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Trinidad and Tobago and Aruba.
Jennifer Bisram and
Andrew Ramos
contributed to this report.
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