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13 of the best looks from NYC's West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn

Feathers, sequins, rhinestones and glitter galore.

Rossilynne Skena Culgan
Things to Do Editor
A woman in a pink costume at the West Indian Day Parade.
Photograph: Filip Wolak | An image from a previous West Indian Day Parade.
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Every Labor Day, thousands of rhinestone-clad revelers take to the streets in Brooklyn for the annual West Indian Day Parade and Carnival. Despite the scorching temperatures and humidity yesterday, the costumed gods and goddesses of this wild parade showed up in droves donning magnificent outfits. 

The party holds an important meaning: The pre-parade parties begin at 6am with J’ouvert (daybreak in French), first celebrated by freed slaves after emancipation.

The procession always features skin, feathers and sequins, with flags and music that celebrate the heritage of Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Barbados, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and Grenada, Guyana, Suriname and Belize, among others. Revelers often dress up as political figures or celebrities and throw powdered paint at each other, while steel drums and whistles provide the celebratory soundtrack. Here are some of the best outfits of the bunch. 

RECOMMENDED: NYC events in September 2023

The best outfits at NYC's West Indian Day Parade

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