There were two nights every year you weren’t supposed to be outside: J’ouvert, the night before Labor Day, and Halloween. In my Brooklyn neighborhood, these nights were considered dangerous, and only those looking for trouble would venture out. But that was in the old days. This year, I joined in the festivities for both Labor Day (though not j’ouvert) and Halloween.
The Caribbean Day Parade
J’ouvert
The carnival held on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn is commonly known in the neighborhood as the Labor Day Parade and formally named the Caribbean Day Parade. There is a j’ouvert, a gathering held the night before the carnival. From what I’ve heard, j’ouvert used to start late at night and end before sunrise. I’ve never attended j’ouvert myself, so this is all based on the tales I’ve heard from my neighbors. They said that if you are a girl, you wouldn’t want to go unless you are looking for trouble. Even men were advised against going unless they were risk-takers. Fights were common, and worse, there were sometimes casualties. J’ouvert always seemed to fall on an eerie night.
If you’ve lived in New York City for more than 20 years, you know how the weather used to feel before climate change. You might remember: the night before the Labor Day, it always turned suddenly windy, chilly, and spooky. It was always j’ouvert night that seemed to signal the beginning of fall. Between my neighbors’ tales and the nature’s whims, I never had any desire to venture out on j’ouvert nights.
J’ouvert continued to take place every year as usual until it was cancelled for two consecutive years during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. When it returned in 2022, the start time was pushed back to 6 a.m.—definitely not ideal for partygoers or night owls like me. I don’t think I will have the chance to experience j’ouvert anytime soon.
The Labor Day Parade
I don’t even go to the Labor Day Parade the following day. The last time I went was in 2001. However, in 2024, I decided to go at the last minute, wearing a carnival-appropriate outfit. I had originally made this outfit in 2007 but never wore it out until this year. I made some alterations to the original design from 2007.
Since I don’t represent any of the Caribbean Islands, I did not wear any flag colors. Instead, I chose to wear a pink outfit made with hand-painted African cotton and stretch cotton twill. I used gold for all the ornaments and trimmings. When making alterations, I also updated the outfit to reflect the current, gentrified Brooklyn by adding cuffs to the shorts to expose the pockets.
Cut-off jeans with exposed pockets did not originate in my part of Brooklyn—that’s a style associated with white girls. I like to keep my clothes neat, so I cuffed the hems instead of leaving them with raw, cut-off edge.
Halloween
Before the 2010s, I tried to stay home every year on Halloween night. It could be dangerous, so I didn’t want to take any chances. I’m sorry to mention it here, but my old friend’s brother was shot on Halloween somewhere in Brooklyn before.
Still, there were times when I had to go out after dark to run errands. On one such occasion, I saw a raw egg drop right in front of me. Thankfully, it didn’t hit me, or I would have been upset.
Outside, I would see children in Halloween costumes, but I had never seen adults wearing them. That changed in the early 2010s when adults in costumes started appearing in my neighborhood—and they were, of course, the new residents of the area.
The first time I attended a Halloween party where I had to wear a costume was in 2012 at an acquaintance’s apartment in my neighborhood. This acquaintance had lived in the area for three years by then. Most of the people at the party were white Americans who had moved to the neighborhood from another state within the previous four years. Gradually, I learned how to have fun on Halloween.
However, it still felt odd to me, as an adult, to participate in something childlike. After 2012, I didn’t do anything Halloween-related again until this year, after 12 years.
I didn’t want to wear any costumey costumes. So I made a simple outfit using Halloween-colored plaid fabric, accented with real pumpkin seeds as ornaments.
