BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) — Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway comes alive every Labor Day for the West Indian American Day Parade.
Anticipation ahead of the parade was already building Tuesday evening inside the Sesame Flyers headquarters. A community-based organization founded 40 years ago, Sesame Flyers has a mission of uplifting Caribbean culture.
Each Labor Day, Sesame Flyers leads a band with hundreds of masqueraders down Eastern Parkway for New York’s very own Caribbean carnival. This celebration has drawn as many as 2 million people.
“It’s a way to just actually celebrate your freedom, your culture, and your pride,” explained Michelle Mathison. Mathison is the Development Director for Sesame Flyers.
The parade begins Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4, at 10 a.m. The West Indian American Day Carnival Association also hosts a Junior Carnival for children on Saturday morning at the Brooklyn Museum and the Panorama Steel Band Competition at the Brooklyn Museum on Saturday night.
