An explosion of joy and energy is what you experience at every concert and performance. A riot of colors and creativity is what you view at the parade on Festival Day. Exhaustion and drenching sweat are what you feel after J’ouvert morning, international flag night, and the last “Jump Up.” Such is the experience one gets at Miami’s annual Caribbean Carnival Festival held every year on Columbus Day weekend.

If you have never attended a carnival festival in Miami or your home city, then you are missing out on one of life’s great treats. Each year Miami welcomes thousands of people from every island of the Caribbean, countries from the tip of South America, and yes, even a few Americans into their city for music, parades, and kinetic concert performances. It is a celebration of all things Caribbean, and a gaggle of fun.

Created originally in Trinidad and Tobago, carnival focuses on the music form known as Soca; a fast and joyous form of music from the islands that extol the virtues of dancing, togetherness, and the all important “whining” of your waist. The festival is celebrated in all major cities, but Miami’s is one of the most anticipated.

This year the bonus of celebrating the 50th anniversary of Trinidad’s independence added extra “oomph” to the parties and events. Once again Machel Montano, known as the King of Soca, performed in the city at concerts: “Girl Power,” “Rave” and at the Sunday Parade. Machel is one of the biggest and most beloved soca artists. His performances leave thousands covered in sweat from concerts that last two hours, and push people to dance, jump and wave the flags of their country’s origin.

Being in the crowd at carnival can be intimating for the uninitiated. Party goers, often called revelers, love to dance, while gyrating their waists against each other. Once the song ends, the person up against you is likely to disappear instantly, as they move off to another reveler to dance with. If they are not “whining,” as they call it, then they are responding to the singer’s calls to jump and down, and wave their flags. It is fun, intoxicating without the alcohol needed, and as mentioned, tiring. Concerts typically go from 9pm to 4 or 5am. The day of the Parade, you follow along large trucks blasting soca music and trail after parade goers who are dressed in bright costumes. The Parade leads into the fairgrounds where each “Band” is judged for their costumes, and then prepares for the closing night concert. Performances this year were given by Machel Montano, Patrice Roberts, 10 year old sensation Devin, and others.

Miami carnival is both a celebration of the last carnival event held in the U.S. for the year and a warm up for the grand daddy of all carnivals held in Trinidad in February. If you have never been to one it is great fun for the family, or as way to relieve stress and strain from perils of work. Be sure to look for it in your city, or to attend it in Miami next year. It is guaranteed to be hot, fun, and a grand experience.

Image Courtesy of  Vania Andre

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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.

The article The West Indian American Parade Marches Through Brooklyn appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.