As Labor Day Weekend marked the unofficial end of summer, millions of participant and spectators celebrated in Brooklyn during the annual West Indian American Parade & Carnival. The Labor Day Carnival Parade is an outdoor festival that highlights the cultures of nations across the West Indies.

The 2011 West Indian American Parade & Carnival took place on September 5 and showcased a day packed with music, dance, and international cuisine The show stopping performances during this year’s 43^rd annual parade was one of the biggest ever seen in Brooklyn. The parade route ran along busy Eastern Parkway.

With a combination of many Caribbean cultures coming together for the parade, this yearly festivity is one of the largest cultural events in all of New York City. The celebrations began in Brooklyn a few days prior to the main parade that took place on Labor Day. Countries including Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados were represented, along with a variety of other Caribbean nations.

The original West Indian American Parade & Carnival started in Harlem in the 1940’s, but was then moved to its current home in Brooklyn in the 1960’s. Remaining on the same route, Eastern Parkway annually lights up with the sights and sounds of the Caribbean.

The parade gets its foundation from the traditions of carnivals throughout the Caribbean, where bright costumes and days of exciting music fill up the streets in preparation for Lent. Although this custom has been redirected towards the time around Labor Day, the beauty of these cultures are still a yearly tradition in Brooklyn.

The parade’s signature theme is to bring out the unique cultural traditions of each country through ornately colorful floats that make their way down Eastern Parkway. Thousands of participants dressed up in vibrant costumes and danced atop the decorated floats. The colors of the rainbow were displayed on Caribbean influenced designs, and often included large headpieces flanked with feathers.

Months of preparation go into the designs of the f loats and costumes to make the West Indian American Parade & Carnival one of the most detailed and radiant festival throughout New York City. Along with the sights of the parade were the distinct sounds of the festival. Caribbean music was played throughout the duration of the parade.

Everything from Jamaican reggae to Trinidadian calypso could be heard along Eastern Parkway. One of the highlights of the parade was the abundance of steel drums. Many groups skillfully playing the steel drums performed and competed for the title of the best steel drum band of the year.

The energetic music from guitars, drums, congas, and other instruments got the massive crowds dancing their way through the parade. The tastes of Caribbean cuisine were also a main event during the parade. As is true for many cultures around the world, food is one of the main examples of how uniquely different these countries can be.

Local cooks and chefs came together to serve plates of delicious food from their home countries. Vendors lined the street selling dishes of oxtail, jerk chicken, coconut bread and fried plantains, among many other choices. The array of cultural cuisine was astounding and was a great display of the local food in the Caribbean.

Over three million people enjoyed this year’s West Indian American Parade & Carnival. A large population of New York City inhabitants comes from Caribbean nations. The parade was bursting at the seams with excitement and pride in their distinct cultures.

The annual parade brought participants and onlookers dressed in costumes and with painted faces to Eastern Parkway, and enjoyed a weekend long celebration of the Caribbean.

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In the barren Black Rock Desert of Nevada, people and resources are scarce. But once a year, thousands of participants join together for the annual Burning Man Festival. 2011’s Burning Man took place from August 29 to September 5, where nearly 50,000 people from around the world created a temporary city in the desert, making it the most populous community in the county for that time.

Burning Man is not your ordinary festival with headlining performances by famous musicians. It is a distinct festival because there are no rules, aside from keeping the community safe and clean. Stepping into the temporary society of Burning Man is a unique experimental experience.

Burning Man has set foundations in creating a community where one has not existed before. Thousands of people come together with their own resources and supplies they will need to survive throughout the week in the desert. Participants in Burning Man camp out in the desert during the duration of the festival and rely on themselves as well as other people in the community.

People are encouraged to participate in the makeshift community as much or as little as they want, knowing that their own contribution to Burning Man has an impact on the festival as a whole. Strong bonds are formed and self exploration is highly encouraged.

Burning Man has strong roots in self expression and art. Each year, the festival has a theme for the artwork presented. For 2011’s Burning Man, the theme  was Rites of Passage. All across the temporary community, art installations are presented and people are often inspired to create their own art as well.

The Rites of Passage theme was chosen to signify the change people go through while attending the festival, as well as the emotions that surface when people loose cherished loved ones.

Based on the Rites of Passage theme, participants are known to dress up in costumes throughout the festival in forms of self expression. Art installations pop up around the temporary city as people enjoy their new forms of extreme reliance on themselves and one another to survive throughout the week long period. There are performances and theme camps, as well as dramatic sculptures.

The Center Camp Café is one of the popular spots where performances are ongoing. Musical performances by the participants of Burning Man usher in a wide variety of genres, including jazz, marching bands, and experimental music. The overall energy of the Café is geared to inspiring people with their talents and bringing a positive, social environment for all who wish to join in.

Comedy shows, spoken word performances, and even magicians are also highlights of the artistic acts that express their talents at the Center Camp Café.

The Fire Conclave is another key component of the dominant self expression theme throughout Burning Man. A group of people perform a scheduled fire show that signifies the spirit of life. People who attend Burning Man gather around the massive fire ceremony to dance and play drum beats while the performance goes on.

Participation in this event  are  said to bring together the community and to strengthen the bonds of its members. Burning Man takes a strong stance towards assuring that the Black Rock Desert is not negatively harmed by pollution. Burning Man believes in being a Leave No Trace Event.

Even though thousands of people come together for a week in the harsh desert, there is no trace of them once they leave. Participants of Burning Man believe in protecting the environment by continuously recycling and taking sustainable measures to make sure the Black Rock Desert remains just the way they found it.

The week long journey into Burning Man is one full of conscious awareness of the environment, ongoing art performances, and extreme self expression. Experiencing Burning Man is a unique way to participate in a festival that is truly one of a kind.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelholden/

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