Countdown to West Indian “Carnival season” begins
New Orleans has the Mardi Gras. Indianapolis has the Indy 500. And Brooklyn has the West Indian Day Parade and Carnival on Labor Day, which attracts millions of people – including many from the Caribbean itself – every year.
To mark the beginning of Carnival season, the West Indian American Day Carnival Association Inc. (WIADCA) held a news conference in front of Borough Hall on Thursday afternoon. Both before and after the conference, onlookers were treated to the music of the Casym Steel Orchestra as well as the dancing of a some revealingly-clad young ladies from several carnival “crews.”
This will be the first year that the Carnival, which goes down Eastern Parkway, will have a partnership with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Carlo Scissura, chairman and CEO of the Chamber, explained that the Chamber would raise money for the Carnival (WIADCA itself is non-profit), encourage merchants to offer Carnival-related deals and help sponsor events.
Brooklyn Democratic Chairman and former Surrogate Judge Frank Seddio, whom several other people on the podium called “The Boss,” recalled the day in 1969 when members of WIADCA came to the Police Department to ask permission to hold the first parade on Eastern Parkway. At the time, Seddio was a police officer.