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West Indian Day Parade Canceled For Second Year In A Row

By

Jen Chung

Published Aug 19, 2021

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Photograph of a many in a huge West INdian Day Parade costume that is all rose colored sequins and appears to radiaate at least 15 from him

 

Scott Lynch / Gothamist

By

Jen Chung

Published Aug 19, 2021

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The West Indian Day Parade, the exhilarating gathering featuring amazing costumes, floats, and music, has been canceled for the second year in a row.

The parade's organizer, the West Indian American Day Carnival Association, is instead offering a series of virtual and smaller in-person events in early September. The latter will include a Steel Pan Jamboree and the "Jus' Like Mas" party, where participants are urged to wear their costumes.

When asked about the cancelation of the huge parade, which can draw up to 1 million people along Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday, "We respect the choices. Some organizations have said they want to have their events again, some want to do a modified version, some are postponing it to 2022."

The city has been holding its "Homecoming" concerts, with only vaccinated attendees, this week. The mayor added, "There’s not one way of doing things," and pointed out, "People move on the hope that something can move forward."

Last year, while the parade was canceled, a handful of groups held J'Ouvert festivities, the pre-dawn Labor Day celebration, but the turnout was scant, overall, as the city had vowed to crackdown on any gatherings.

This week it was announced that Coney Island's Mermaid Parade was also canceled for the second year in a row.

Tagged

COVID-19

pandemic

west indian day parade

brooklyn

Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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