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NY: West Indian Labor Day Parade, The Aftermath

I am a native New Yorker, born and raised in Long Island. I will never forget the first time I was on the Parkway. I was 10 years old, and some friends of the family decided to take all the little kids to Brooklyn to see the parade. I had this little camera with a fresh roll of film, which I quickly dispensed of within an hour! I was fascinated by the costumes, the jewels and sequins, the movement, the joy that I saw in people’s faces. I had no idea that I was laying the foundation for a love affair with carnival and mas that continues to this day!

I have always gone out to the parkway, even if only for an hour. I have seen the evolution of the New York West Indian Day Parade, from the relatively free and happy jump up time from my youth, to the colossal production that it has become today. I watched the NYPD tighten up and impose a structure on the parade. I remember the outrage of the Caribbean community when Guliani changed the law in NY so that parades (& only parades) could no longer include alcohol. I have watched the Haitian presence on the parkway swell to monstrous proportions, and felt unbelievable pride as T-Vice & Sweet Mickey crowds stomped the parkway and made all clear a path. 2004 was our bicentennial, and my arms were sore from waving my flag and jumping up with my people. There were years when violence broke out, years when people got crushed underneath trucks. There were also years when I couldn’t get enough, like in the late 90s when the sky opened up to torrential downpours and we stayed on the parkway jumping up with a small Vincy band for hours. I payed for that dearly, developing a fever the day after!


For all that I have experienced on the parkway over the years, I have never played mas there. Until now.

A good friend produced a design for Hawks International called “Army of Peace”. I have assisted her in promoting her section throughout the summer. Feeling so invested, there was no way that I could not play come Labor Day.

I am now officially a New York mas believer!

I cannot believe how much fun I had! The view is very different inside a band on the parkway: the formerly seemingly unfriendly NYPD has nothing but smiles and laughter for a masquerader. Being someone who attends many fetes in NY, there is an intimate feel when the DJs that you party with all the time climb on top of the truck: Natural Freaks and D’Bandit killed it on the road! And of course I always play mas with my friends, but when you travel to Trinidad and Miami, there are financial constraints, not everyone will be able to attend. Not so in NY…for most people it was only a subway ride away. There has not yet been an official estimate for the number of people at the parade this year, but news reports are quoting “tens of thousands”.

Our section organized 2 dollar vans to transport us to the meeting point (yay for my section!). We started off with breakfast, bake and saltfish on Rutland. Then we marched up Rockaway to Buffalo and then onto the Parkway. The judging station is in front of the Brooklyn museum, and then we marched down Flatbush to the mas camp on Flatbush and Empire for corn soup and pelau. My feet were burning by the time we reached by the camp! LOL.

Now I definitely had some issues with playing on the parkway. Hawks security did not use ropes this year, so for a while we were subject to a lot of stormers, until they banded together and held hands. They failed to provide special security for the larger king and queen costumes for much of the time on the road, so me and my friends were hit many times by those big monstrous things…not fun!! Things were very disorganized too…getting into sections was a nightmare and although we crossed as a section, we crossed completely out of original section order. I am also not sure how I feel about the stage being at the end of the road….after all the bacchanal and sequins and pieces of costume fall off, you have to assemble and put on a show for the judges….hmmmm, not so sure about that one! LOL

But my friend's design was absolutely stunning. I think we looked wonderful on the road, if I do say so myself (LOL). Crossing the stage we were extremely unified, and I was told by spectators that we looked very good. The males in our section were protective in their own right, and they made sure that we didn't stray too far.

All in all, I had a amazing experience, very highly recommended!

Busy Brooklyn Bee....

I cannot believe how busy I have been! I have taken to an old school habit- going to sleep early so that I can get up in the wee hours of the morning- I can get much more done when everyone else is asleep! LOL. I still owe you guys a Caribana '08 review (it's coming I promise!!! LOL). Getting ready to hit the road with Hawks International on Monday (no sleep till Labor day!!!) so be on the lookout for that review in September as well...


Photo courtesy of Saucy

I wanted to take a second out and give some kudos to Island People...when I opened my leaked copy of the IP calendar days before the launch, I was so excited when I saw the beautiful dark-skinned female model that they used...go IP! Get busy! LOL

There have been quite a few band launches on the TnT carnival scene, including Island People and D Krewe. Bloggers like Saucy, Afro Chic & Carnival Jumbie are providing extensive launch and costume reviews on the ground in Trinidad. I just love how the carnival blogging scene has exploded, there is a blog out there for every major carnival in the world, and some cities have several people dedicated to outlining their carnival exploits!

To those of you in Brooklyn, or on your way to Brooklyn for Labor Day...I wish you much mas and plenty of fun!!! Be safe, let loose and smile...it's Labor Day!!!

Spring Time Fete Review

It has been silent over here for a little while I know. Trying to get in as much end of summer festivities as possible! I know that I owe everyone a Caribana review. Until I find the time to actually write it from the notes I have jotted down, enjoy my Springtime fete review!

Much time has passed since I promised to give everyone fete reviews, so at this point the easiest thing for me to do is to outline my favorite fetes. I will start with Spring 2008, and at the end of the summer I will outline my favorite summer fetes. Of course, this is about NY fetes, any other fetes that I attend in other cities/countries during the various carnivals that I visit will be included in that carnival’s review. I will do a special entry for boat rides at the end of summer as well.

For those not in the know, New York City (which includes the 5 boroughs: Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island) has the largest West Indian population of any city outside the West Indies. It makes for a lot of different parties/fetes and you can find any flavor you like, especially in Brooklyn. So out of all the fetes that I have attended (and I have not stopped partying this year since the Machel concert in March), these are the ones that I enjoyed the most [Photo credits: NYCV, The Xcene & my personal collection.]:

CongoMan: The VIP After Party; Friday March 28, 2008 at the Cabanas, Maritime Hotel, Manhattan


This for me was the first major fete I attended upon my return from Trinidad. It was an activity filled weekend, what with the concert at Madison Square Garden and all of the people in from out of town. The Cabanas is a very nice venue and it was decorated to a tee. The vibes were nice too, with both Hypa Hoppa and DJ Back to Basics on the wheels. We were also treated to a nice little performance by Calypso Rose at this fete.

One thing I didn’t like, perhaps because it was the Maritime, I’m not quite sure, the music wasn’t quite as loud as it should be at a fete, although that didn’t stop me from dancing up a storm. On a positive note, the fire eater and the congo drum player added a lil something something to the vibe, it’s always nice when something interesting goes on at the fete, and it definitely reinforced the congoman theme. All in all, it was a very fun party!

Imagine; Sunday April 20 at BLVD, Manhattan


The fact that I enjoyed myself at this fete is a big deal, because I really dislike BLVD as a venue. In theory, it seems like it would be very nice, with all the little couches etc. But in practice, I find this venue way too large and sprawling, and the staff can be a bit pretentious. Because of the size of the venue, the lights never really get turned down very low, which also kills the vibes in my opinion.

The promotional team made it work though, there was a very large crowd here which filled up the place. The food was delish, especially the corn soup (go corn soup, get busy…LOL). Of course the djs were nice too, most notably Platinum Sounds, Natural Freaks and of course B2B the Party Rocker. Also contributing to the vibes were performances by Kerwin DuBois and Blaxx- a lot of fun!

Gyal Farm; Saturday April 26 at De River, Queens


Now first of all, I really like the venue. It is always nice to get out of Brooklyn from time to time, and De River is somehow large and sprawling, yet manages not to lose its intimate feel. They decorated to a tee as well, with scarecrows and bales of hay. By the end of the fete, people were rolling about in the hay, which might have been a mistake- some of my friends let me know that it was itchy and impossible to get out of your clothes! LOL. People really got into the theme as well- there were western hats, checkered shirts and cowboy boots everywhere!

The hi-light of the evening to me was the mechanical bull, what a great idea! LOL. People (mostly women) were lining up in droves for a ride. I wasn’t brave enough, but several of my friends had a wonderful time! Performances by Kerwin DuBois, Shal Marshall and Zan topped off the evening. All in all, a good concept and a very fun fete!

Sutra: Vice 1 Year Anniversary Party; Sunday, May 18, 2008 at Taj, Manhattan


Taj is a beautiful, Moroccan inspired location in the city. A wonderful venue for Sutra. I really enjoyed this fete: there were belly dancers dancing on the couches. The djs were excellent- I love when people play a bit more than the typical soca songd. Go back in time and bring me some memories- and they delivered. We received goody bags with Shorblu shot glasses and mini-bottles of rum. Also, the marching band was a nice touch, broke the usual fete monotony and they were very talented. It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Verve; Friday, May 24 at Kings Palace, Brooklyn


New York Caribbean Vibes always delivers a wonderful fete, and this was no exception. From the 2 fairies that greeted us at the door, to DJ Spice on the 1s and 2s, I started partying the minute I got inside this fete. And people were still on the dance floor when the morning sunlight came streaming through the windows.

One thing I will say is that I was not in love with the venue, the main room indoors had this strange and really busy carpet that I found a bit disturbing in my drunken state- LOL. However, there was a balcony which was really nice- it got very hot inside that fete with all the wining and foolishness. It was nicely decorated too, with nets hanging down from the ceiling and whatnot. Also, this party used chits. While I understand why people use the chit system, I find it extremely annoying, especially if you are left with chits at the end of the night. But all in all I had fun at this fete and I would definitely look to go again.

Shine IV; Monday, May 26 at De River, Queens


Now I happen to love this fete. Everyone and their mom is up in there- it’s a great way to catch up with everyone before the summer starts. This year was no exception: can you say packed? They switched it up a bit this year: you could purchase a regular ticket in advance for $25, or a VIP ticket for $75 (they were charging $50 for a regular entry ticket at the door). At first I was annoyed that they were shutting away the roof- I really enjoyed the roof last year. But when I actually saw what all was going on? It was a very nice flex with a liquor fountain and unlimited drinks all around. People were standing around talking more than dancing, which always bothers me, but I guess they could go downstairs to break up the monotony.

The DJs are great too- any party that has D’Bandit from Toronto is alright with me. There was also an added special treat: a performance by 3 Canal, who I happen to LOVE. All in all I expected to have fun at this fete, and I did!!!

Stay tuned…my Caribana review is on it’s way!

TnT: I want to see TRIBE in the air!

So Tribe launch was this past weekend...the presentation was called "Birds of a Feather". I am busily reviewing pics and making section selections. For more expansive info on the launch with pics, take a hop on over to Saucy (thank you so much!!) and Afro Chic.

It's time to take flight!

NY: West Indian Labor Day Parade

Life is so strange: I have gone from not playing mas on Eastern Parkway to having 3 bands/groups of friends request my presence on the parkway! I will probably be playing with Hawks International (website not yet updated)- who have decided to put together a presentation for 2008 after taking a break in 2007 to protest WIADCA & the NYPD. A good friend of mine has produced a design called "Army of Peace":



I also considered playing with the Red Warriors in their presentation "Warriors". I was eyeing the cutest little number, called "Chinese Warrior":


(Photo courtesy of Red Warriors website)

Last but never least, Sesame Flyers International's presentation is called "Caribbean Heritage". Several of my fellow NY Tribers are playing in "Oil and Music", a costume that is extremely reminiscent of Black Magic, with a different headpiece:


(Photo courtesy of Sesame Flyers International's website)

TnT: Spice Carnival

Saucy has a very detailed and well-written review of the Spice Carnival launch up on her blog. I am very intrigued by this band, and was eagerly awaiting the launch. The costumes do not appear to disappoint, tres sexy! I have played with a new band twice in my carnival career, once in Trinidad with Pulse 8 and once in Miami with Vibrationzz. Now that I know more about playing mas, I realize how lucky I was to have had such a good experience. I am interested to see how they do this carnival season, this band might definitely become an option for the future, depending on how they do!