The annual West Indian Day Parade takes place on Labor Day, Monday, September 4 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
More than a million people are expected to attend the parade to celebrate Caribbean culture with music, dancing, food and festive attire along the two-mile parade route along Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.
The West Indian Day Parade is considered to be one of the largest Caribbean celebrations in the country.
Before the parade, revelers come out to celebrate J’Ouvert – the early morning festival and celebration that comes before the parade. That event starts at 6 a.m.
You probably want to avoid driving in Brooklyn on Monday. There will be several street closures in the area for J’Ouvert and the West Indian Day Parade beginning as early as 5 a.m. on Monday.
J’Ouvert Parade street closures
The following areas will be closed 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. for the J’Ouvert parade:
— Grand Army Plaza
— Eastern Parkway between Washington Avenue and Plaza Street East
— Flatbush Avenue between Grand Army Plaza/East Drive and Empire Boulevard
— Empire Boulevard between Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue
— Nostrand Avenue between Empire Boulevard and Midwood Street
— Nostrand Avenue between Midwood Street and Rutland Road
— Empire Boulevard between McKeever Place and Bedford Avenue
— Empire Boulevard between Bedford Avenue and Rogers Avenue
— Nostrand Avenue between Sterling Street and Lefferts Avenue
West Indian Day Parade 2017 street closures
— The following streets will be closed for the 2017 West Indian Day Parade:
— Buffalo Avenue between Eastern Parkway and Rutland Road
— 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
— 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
J’Ouvert MTA Info and service changes
The following trains will take you to the J’Ouvert parade area:
— 4 or 5 trains to Grand Army Plaza
— Q or S train to Prospect Park
— 5 train to Sterling, Winthrop or Beverly Rd.
According to top the MTA the Church Avenue station on the 5 train line will be closed from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.
West Indian Day Parade 2017 MTA info and service changes
The MTA advises to take the following trains to the parade area to avoid crowding at Franklin Avenue station of the 4 and 5 line:
— Q or S train to Prospect Park
— 4 or 5 trains to Grand Army Plaza
— 4 train to Nostrand, Kingston, Crown Heights-Utica Avenues or Sutter Ave-Rutland Rd.
On Monday, all trains will operate on a Sunday schedule.
According to the MTA, there is no 2 or 3 train service in Brooklyn. You need to take the 4 or 5 train instead.
The Eastern Parkway station will be closed from 12 noon to 7 p.m.
If you’re taking the 4 train to Crown Heights-Utica station, you can only exit through the Schenectady Ave side and will only be able to enter at Utica Avenue.
The B12, B14, B17, B41, B43, B44, B44 SBS, B45, B46, B46 SBS, B48, B49, B67, B69 buses will take you to the parade area, but due to street closures, these routes are subject to change.
To get up-to-date information regarding MTA service changes for the West Indian Day Parade, you can visit their special event page for Monday.
