Senator Sanders Launches First Ever Rockaway Caribbean Carnival With Sneak Preview

State Senator James Sanders Jr. (D-Rochdale Village, Far Rockaway) officially announced that he will be hosting the first ever Rockaway Caribbean Carnival on August 19, 2017, and offered a sneak preview at a press conference in Far Rockaway on Saturday, June 17, 2017. 

Sanders, who donned a scorpion king-style headdress, was joined by other costumed residents and moko jumbies as Caribbean music played in the background. They conducted a mini-march down Beach 20th Street before ending at the plaza.

“Welcome to the Rockaways and welcome to the carnival,” Sanders said proudly. “We are going to have some fun. We are going to be celebrating all of the Rockaways, but we will be particularly highlighting the contributions of the Caribbean community to America.”

Sanders is collaborating with the West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA), Rockaway Development Revitalization Corporation (RDRC) and NYC Parks Department to bring the Caribbean Carnival to Rockaway. It will be a family friendly event, where safety will remain a priority.

“There will be good food, good company – come and make a friend,” Sanders said. “We are going to have a ball.”

The goal of the carnival will be to celebrate the various arts & culture of the Carribean while highlighting the hidden jewel that is the Rockaways. All are welcome. We anticipate the event will be a great success and hope to hold it annually. 

“In a time when people are talking about building walls, we’re talking about building bridges,” Sanders said. “We don’t want to shut people out. We want to celebrate the world.”

The Rockaway Caribbean Carnival will take place on Saturday, August 19, 2017 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The parade will start on Mott Avenue and Beach 20th Street and continue to Seagirt Blvd ending at Beach 17th amphitheater in the park. There will be local youth performances, entertainment and culturally related activities. Residents will have the opportunity to participate in the festivities by patronizing various vendors like the Dred Surfer Grill and Edgemere Food Fair, which assisted in the planning of the event, and markets, and wearing costumes that will be available to the public for purchase or rent through ENJ Productions, which also assisted in the event planning process.

The Rockaway Caribbean Carnival will attempt to mirror WIADCA's other carnival events such as the one they host annually in Brooklyn.

For general information of questions about the event, call Lisa George at Senator Sanders' Far Rockaway Office at 718-327-7017.