Rain or shine we marching! Photo by Spiceklyn.
As a lifelong Brooklyn resident and proud Guyanese-American I know that come Labor Day weekend it’s gonna be all Caribbean everythang up in here. Pretty much non-stop baccahanal inna de streets of Brooklyn. But aside from a few backyard bbqs, I’ve never really taken part in any Labor Day activities. Why? Eh…no real reason. I’m a bit of a homebody and not too keen on crowds and lots of noise, so I was never moved to attend the parade or other events.
But I find that the as the years pass, I am drawn more and more to my Caribbean culture and will seek out events and activites that I might have passed on in the past. So with that new attitude I threw myself into the weekends’ festivities head first!
There were many events happening Labor Day weekend. Fetes, bbqs, concerts, parades, etc. Too many for one woman to attend. Also, I’m not as young as I use to be and have a whole ‘nother life outside of this site so I had to be strategic about what events I would go to. I decided to attend one event a day so I could really enjoy it. Maybe next year I’ll work up to 2, we’ll see. Anyway, here’s a run-down of my adventures:
Friday August 30th, 2013
Thanks to my homie at Lionqueen 192 Productions, (hey Kim!) I was able to attend Hot 97’s On Da Reggae Tip concert on a backstage pass. Viewing the concert from the stage & running around behind the scenes was too much fun. Check out my review of the night here.
Also happening that weekend as the historic three day Caribbean Fever Irie Jamboree Music Festival at The Barclays Stadium put on by Irie Jam Radio. Friday featured stellar French & Haitian music artists, Saturday was Carnival Mania featuring a roster of legendary soca artists and it all capped off on Sunday with Irie Jamboree, an all star Reggae line up.
Saturday August 31st, 2013
Thank you to the Queen of Caribbean Entertainment News & Gossip, Jay Blessed, for providing me with press credentials to Saturday night’s Carnival Mania. Not only did I get to attend amazing concert but I also got to meet and interview a couple of the artists as well! Make sure to check out my review and interviews here.
Sunday September 1st, 2013
No hookups on Sunday. I attended the Irie Jamboree at the Barclays Center as a regular joe with my homegirl from long time, Michelle (hey Mich! *waves like a mad woman* lol) sitting in the nosebleed seats cuz me ain’t got the funds to be on the floor where the action was. Still and all we had a great time acting the fool everytime one of our jams was played. Read more about it here.
Monday September 2nd, 2013
The weekend culminated in the 46th annual West Indian American Day Carnival on Easter Parkway. I woke up late but I packed up my two teen boys and we headed out. It was the first time for all of us. We didn’t stay long but I had a great time and can’t wait for next year’s parade to really get up in the mix. Click here for details of our Parkway adventures.
There were many other events going on over the weekend that I would have loved to attend: Panorama, Kiddie Carnival, J’Ouvert, countless fetes and parties. But for my first time out and about, I don’t think I did too bad. I’ll definitely be adding to my schedule of events next Labor Day weekend, God spare life.
So, how did you celebrate Labor Day? Were you pon de parkway as well? What were your favorite fetes and concerts? If you didn’t get out into the mix, why not? And if you have any tips or advice for where to go and what to do next year, let me know nuh? Please and tank you.
