NEW YORK — New York City’s annual West Indian American Day Carnival and Parade takes place on the streets of Brooklyn this Labor Day.

We have everything you need to know about the route map and road closures, as well as the start time and meaning of the festival.

Map shows route West Indian Day Parade 2024

The parade will march along Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights. It will begin at Utica Avenue by Lincoln Terrace Park and then head west to Grand Army Plaza by the Brooklyn Museum and Prospect Park.

The route is approximately two miles long and runs along the parkway, and usually attracts more than a million spectators.

The NYPD says police will have a heavy presencewith 13 security checkpoints and drones overhead. They also work with local religious leaders and emergency management groups to keep things safe.

Street closures in Brooklyn during West Indian Day Parade

The following streets will be closed on Sunday and Monday due to the festivities.

• Grand Army Plaza (full circle)
• Buffalo Avenue between Eastern Parkway and East New York Avenue
• Rochester Avenue between East New York Avenue and Sterling Place
• Ralph Avenue between Eastern Parkway and East New York Avenue
• East New York Avenue between Howard Avenue and Utica Avenue
• Eastern Parkway between Howard Avenue and Grand Army Plaza
• Washington Avenue between Sterling Place and Lincoln Road
• Flatbush Avenue between Grand Army Plaza and Caton Avenue
• Ocean Avenue between Empire Boulevard and Parkside Avenue
• Butler Place between Grand Army Plaza and Sterling Place
• St. Johns Place between Underhill Avenue and Grand Army Plaza
• Rockaway Parkway between East New York Avenue and Rutland Road
• Parkside Avenue between Park Circle and Flatbush Avenue
• Bedford Avenue between Eastern Parkway and Empire Boulevard
• Empire Boulevard between Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue
• Nostrand Avenue between Empire Boulevard and Linden Boulevard
• Lincoln Place between Eastern Parkway and East New York Avenue

What time does the NYC West Indian Day Parade start?

The parade began at 10 a.m. on September 2, following the pre-dawn celebration known as J’Ouvert. It is held every year on Labor Day, the first Monday in September.

Last year’s event attracted a large crowd of spectators taking the colorful costumestasty dishes and sounds of calypso and steelpan bands.

This year’s parade is expected to last several hours, ending around 6 p.m.

What is the meaning of J’Ouvert?

J’Ouvert is the early morning celebration held each year before the parade. It began before sunrise, around 6am, but some celebrations began on Sunday evening.

The name comes from the French words “jour ouvert”, meaning dawn or morning.

J’Ouvert kicks off Carnival, a festival that celebrates the vast diaspora in the Caribbean with street music, dancing and more.

Celebration of West Indian lands and culture

The West Indies consists of three parts: the Greater Antilles, which includes Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico; the Lesser Antilles, which includes the Virgin Islands, Saint Lucia, Barbados and Grenada; and the island group that includes the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Trinidad and Tobago and Aruba.

Caribbean pride was on display throughout the weekend, kicking off with a Junior Carnival for children on Saturday morning, followed by the annual Panorama Steelpan festivalthe largest steelpan competition in North America.