J'Ouvert celebration kicks off New York Carnival Parade festivities in Brooklyn
PROSPECT HEIGHTS (WABC) -- The streets of Brooklyn came alive before sunrise Monday as thousands of revelers gathered for J'Ouvert, the colorful pre-dawn celebration that kicks off the New York Carnival Parade festivities.
Music echoed along Eastern Parkway as dancers, drummers and masqueraders filled the streets, embracing a tradition that celebrates Caribbean culture, heritage and community.
For many attendees, the annual celebration is deeply personal.
"It means I get to be part of the culture," one participant said. "It means I get to uphold my family's traditions, my lineage and enjoy myself."
WABC-TV Channel 7 is a proud sponsor of the 2026 New York Carnival Parade and you can watch it on Monday, Sept. 7, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET, on wherever you stream ABC 7 New York, including Disney+ as well as on YouTube, TikTok and Facebook.
Others described J'Ouvert as a powerful way to honor their roots while gathering with family and friends.
"I'm Haitian, my parents are Haitian. I love this festivity," another reveler said. "I enjoy it every year. I feel like they are changing a lot, but I still celebrate my culture and I love it."
The celebration also drew visitors from across the Caribbean diaspora eager to showcase the traditions, fashion and music that make the event unique.
"More reason to be out here," one attendee said. "As we say in Trinidad, just have a fabulous time out here. We love fashion, we love style, we love music, rhythm and blues."
Organized by the West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA), the New York Carnival is considered the nation's largest Caribbean cultural festival, attracting more than a million participants and spectators.
WABC-TV Channel 7 is a proud sponsor of the 2026 New York Carnival Parade and you can watch it on Monday, Sept. 7, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET, on wherever you stream ABC 7 New York, including Disney+ as well as on YouTube, TikTok and Facebook.
Crowds of marchers and spectators will descend on Eastern Parkway to celebrate the New York Carnival Parade, more commonly known as the West Indian Day Parade.
New York's weekend-long Caribbean Carnival dates to the 1920s, when historians believe it started in Harlem before moving to Brooklyn in the mid-1960s, where it continues to draw millions of people each year.
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