VIDEO: J’Ouvert celebrations draw energetic crowds

September 4, 2018 By Paul Frangipane Special to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Many attendees covered themselves in paint as they danced down the streets. Eagle photos by Paul Frangipane

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The annual J’Ouvert celebration drew energetic crowds as the early-morning predecessor to the West Indian American Day parade danced through Crown Heights on Monday.

The NYPD’s strong police presence was evident, with groups of officers lining the parade route and the surrounding areas in the event’s second year with increased security. Attendees were searched at various checkpoints and the start time was moved to 6 a.m., pushed back hours from previous years.

Still, oil-covered revelers painted each other and the streets and danced to traditional steel pan bands that created a celebratory Caribbean soundtrack.

The celebration of Caribbean culture came to Crown Heights from Harlem in 1969 as more Caribbean immigrants settled in central Brooklyn and has become a mainstay of the community since.