NEW YORK (AP) – One of the world’s biggest celebrations of Caribbean culture, New York City’s West Indian American Day Parade began Monday with lively costumes, colorful flags, sounds of soca and reggae music.
With hundreds of thousands of people, the parade has long been a magnet for local politicians. Many of them have West Indian heritage or represent members of the city’s large Caribbean community. With mayoral elections looming in November, political overlap this year was particularly clear as rival candidates joked about their attention and support.
Mayor Eric Adams is running for re-election as an independent this fall. And Democrat government’s Kathy Hochul cut a ceremonial ribbon at the start of the parade as the civil rights leader seen by Rev. Al Sharpton.
Several of Adams’ reelection challengers have swung their hips in traditional Caribbean dances, including state legislators and Democratic candidate Zoran Mamdani. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, running for mayor as an independent, fired his thumb as he proceeded along the route. A Republican mayor’s hopeful Curtis Swawa waved to the crowd while wearing his trademark Red Guardian Angels Beret.
The parade also saw an increase in security. Fatal shooting at last year’s event.
Police departments dispatched thousands of officers as well as helicopters and drones, and installed barricades to create a “moat” between marchers and the many spectators lined up on the nearly two-mile (3.2-kilometer) Brooklyn Parade route, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tish said.
Tish said this was the largest development in the division, with more executives assigned to protect the event than they were deployed on New Year’s Eve in Times Square and on July 4th fireworks in the East River.
“We are not going to allow one or two people to ruin the festival,” Adams said at a press conference Friday, saying there is no specific or reliable threat to the parade.
Annual Work Day Event Fill the Eastern Parkway from Crown Heights to the Brooklyn Museum. It is the daily culmination of carnival events in the city, including Steel Pan Band performances and J’ouvert, early in the day marking freedom from slavery.
Last year, one person was killed and four others were injured in a shooting along the parade route. Tish said Friday that police were still looking for shooters.
