Another West Indian Day Parade has come and gone seeing Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway turn into a sea of flag waving and gyrating hips. The 42nd annual West Indian Day parade took place on Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway under sunny skies, but in slightly cooler temperatures than we have been used to in the past several years. Multi-colored flags from all the Caribbean countries were worn on heads, as clothing, and appeared on all types of trinkets. The New York Police Department (NYPD) was out in force, and of course politicians took advantage of situation to advance their latest agendas.

Where were the Haitian Floats?
This year the recession has hit hard and Djakout Mizik and T-Vice were the only major Haitian bands to have floats. As usual, “sound problems” kept the bands from departing on time. Consequently, none of them completed the entire parkway, with their floats turning off of Eastern Parkway before the end, and being forced to turn off their sound systems. However, T-Vice had the streets rocking with “gagann"s galore being hurled by the unruly crowds on the street next to the float.

HaitiXchange streamed the event to hundreds of viewers from all over the world who wanted to get a glimpse of the day’s events. Stay tuned for additional information on when this will be re broadcast.

Related Links:
J’Ouvert 2009 Pre-Labor Day Festivities