Opening Celebration: Long Live J’ouvert Pop Up Installation

Join Prospect Park Alliance and JouvayFest Collective for the Opening Celebration of the Long Live J’ouvert! Pop Up Installation. The Opening Celebration will take place on lawn of Lefferts Historic House and will include a performance by the Pan Alley Steel Orchestra.

The Long Live J’ouvert! Pop Up Installation is on-view at the tollbooth outside of Lefferts Historic House through Sunday, November 3. 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.