Brooklyn Children’s Museum to host Caribbean carnival festival for families
The annual “Celebrate the Caribbean” event on Saturday 8 August is presented with the West Indian American Day Carnival Association and features steel pan, moko jumbies and headdress workshops.
NEW YORK, United States. Brooklyn Children’s Museum (BCM) is inviting families to “Celebrate the Caribbean” on Saturday 8 August, an annual festival presented in partnership with the Brooklyn-based West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA).
The museum said the “fun-filled, family-friendly event” would feature Caribbean musical performances, art-making, food and dance, running from 11am to 4pm.
“‘Celebrate the Caribbean’ offers visitors an opportunity to delve into the rich diversity of the Caribbean Diaspora and enjoy a wide array of performers and vendors,” BCM said.
The museum sits steps away from Brooklyn’s Little Caribbean neighbourhood, and it said the children’s festival would celebrate the local community’s heritage.
What is on the programme
Activities include a carnival headdress and bracelet workshop with WIADCA in the museum’s ColorLab Art Studio, and an introduction to the history and basics of playing the steel pan with Harmony Music Makers.
CarNYval Dancers will give an Afro-Caribbean dance performance.
Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival and Something Positive will present a workshop introducing Kalinda, a Caribbean martial art that combines music, movement, storytelling, rhythm studies, oral tradition and collaborative participation.
The literary festival will also host a story time session teaching families about the origins of steel pan, in celebration of World Steelpan Day.
Youth dancers and moko jumbies, or stilt walkers, in colourful costumes will lead a dance performance featuring Caribbean rhythms with the award-winning Sesame Flyers Youth Company.
BCM said a procession to a rooftop dance party would be among the other attractions.
“Feel the rhythm of carnival culture with steel drums, stilt walkers, and costumed dancers at this island family fête,” the museum said.
