Woy Magazine
2024
West Indian Day Parade
Brooklyn, September 2024
A woman with loose brown bantu knots and thick black shades exhales smoke on Eastern Parkway. Around her head is the Haitian flag, one of many seen as the Haitian float rolled down crowded streets.
A group of dancers perform for bystanders in the early hours of the 2024 West Indian Day Parade.
A young man and woman on stilts smile as they wait for the float to begin its journey on Eastern Parkway. The woman has a thick afro and a golden necklace. The man beside her wears a green shirt and a calm smile.
A group of women represent Grenada with green, yellow, and red flags as bandanas.
A crowd gathers near Eastern Parkway. In front, a young woman and girl, both wearing shirts representing Trinidad and Tobago, walk in the opposite direction.
A Masquerader, shining in yellow and pink, kisses the air.
A police officer observes a crowd of bystanders. Behind the guardrails are people representing various islands of the Caribbean, from Grenada to Trinidad and Tobago. A bright blue sky shines above them.
A young woman in cornrows in the middle of a crowd of Haitians. At this time, you could feel the music vibrating through you and taste the meats sizzling from vendor carts. Even so, little seemed to notice. Many were lost in the fever of dance and celebration.
A group of young friends in front of Schenectady Avenue.
As the Haitian float made its way down, hundreds of Haitians and other participants gathered.
As music from Mahotiere "Tony Mix" Thony blasts out from a Haitian float, a young man swirls his way through the crowd, eyes closed and taken by the moment.
A young man in dark shades stands out amongst the crowd as the Haitian float, which was playing music by Mahotiere "Tony Mix" Thony.