Celebrate J’Ouvert and West Indian American Heritage
July 31, 2026
Get into the spirit of J’Ouvert and West Indian American Day Carnival, a beloved Brooklyn celebration, in Prospect Park! Brooklyn’s Backyard has always been a gathering place for Caribbean neighbors to share food, music and special memories. Prospect Park Alliance is proud to present programming that uplifts these vibrant traditions in the lead up to West Indian American Day Carnival on September 7.
Exhibit: Long Live J’ouvert
On View August 1-September 6
Lefferts Historic House, Free
Join Prospect Park Alliance and JouvayFest Collective for the Long Live J’ouvert! Pop Up Installation on-view at the tollbooth outside of Lefferts Historic House through Sunday, September 6. Long Live J’ouvert! delves into the vibrant history of J’ouvert, a significant cultural tradition originating in Trinidad & Tobago and now deeply rooted in Brooklyn. J’ouvert, meaning “opening of the day” in French, marks the start of the Carnival season in the Caribbean and is celebrated the night before Labor Day in Brooklyn. Born from the resistance of formerly enslaved Africans who fought to partake in pre-Lenten festivities, J’ouvert has evolved into a powerful symbol of resistance and resilience, commemorating enslavement and oppression and celebrating emancipation and freedom. The installation aims to deepen the public’s understanding of J’ouvert through photography and the exploration of traditional masquerade costumes and musical traditions.
Guyana Folk Festival Symposium
Sunday, August 30, 12–6 pm
Lefferts Historic House, Free, RSVP!
Join Prospect Park Alliance and the Guyana Cultural Association of New York for a special day of exhibitions, panel discussions, games and performances that tell the multi-dimensional story of Musical Exchange: The Guyanese Experience.
In celebration of the 60th anniversary of Guyana’s independence, the theme for the 2026 Guyana Folk Festival season, organized by the Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc., is “Roots, Rhythm, and Harmony.” The symposium will focus on an under-examined aspect of Guyanese musical life: musical exchange among Guyana’s root cultures—Indigenous; European, especially Dutch, British, Scots, Irish, and Portuguese; African; Indian; and Chinese.