BBy Jacob Fillmore rooklyn’s biggest parade is
coming!
Eastern Parkway will
be filled with feathered outfits,
calypso beats, and the sizzle of
Caribbean dishes on Labor Day,
when the 52nd annual New York
Caribbean Carnival Parade steps
off at 11 a.m. The march caps a
weekend full of events celebrating
the West Indies, so here are
some island-related events you
can visit before the Labor Day
parade.
Heavy metal
Kick off your weekend with
a concert of soca music at
Brassfest, dubbed “Brooklyn’s
Savannah Grass” after the
insanely catchy song “Savannah
Grass” by Trinidad and Tobago
band Kes, who will headline the
show. Other acts include Patrice
Roberts, Farmer Nappy, Skinny
Fabulous, and many, many others.
Brassfest at Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Pkwy. at Washington
Avenue in Prospect Heights, (718)
467–1797, www.wiadcacarnival.
org. Aug. 30; 7 p.m.–3 a.m. $65
($125 VIP).
Mini march
The Junior Carnival Parade
give kids a chance to take center
stage at Carnival. The pintsized
parade will step off at 9
a.m. from the corner of Kingston
Avenue and St. Johns Place in
Crown Heights, march down St.
Johns to Franklin Avenue, turn
left on Franklin and parade to
President Street, and then end
with a festival on the grounds of
the Brooklyn Museum.
Junior Carnival Festival at the
Brooklyn Museum (see above). Aug.
31; 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Watching the
parade is free. Festival $5.
Pan-tastic
Almost a dozen different
steel pan bands will compete to
be named the best pan band in
the land at Panorama 2019 on
Saturday night! The championship
will go on until early in the
morning, and the winner will
be announced at Sunday night’s
gathering.
Panorama 2019 at Brooklyn
Museum. Aug. 31; 7 p.m.–3 a.m.
$45.
Final night
The grand finale of the concerts
COURIER LIFE, A 36 UG. 30-SEPT. 5, 2019
at Brooklyn Museum will
be the Dimanche Gras (Fat
Sunday), a party with an allwhite
dress code. The night will
showcase this year’s King and
Queen of the bands, announce
the winner of Panorama 2019,
and highlight some of the best
costumes to be deployed in the
parade the next day.
The party will also feature
performances from Calypso
Rose, Lavaman, and the stiltdancing
group Kaisokah Moko
Jumbies, among others.
Dimanche Gras at Brooklyn
Museum; Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. $35.
The big day
Thousands of revelers will
march in the parade, and millions
will line Eastern Parkway
to watch. This year’s Parade
Grand Marshalls, New York
City’s Public Advocate Jumaane
Williams and Haitian-born City
Councilman Mathieu Eugene,
will lead the party along the
Parkway from Schenectady
Avenue in Crown Heights to
Grand Army Plaza in Prospect
Heights.
Visitors can stake out a spot
anywhere along the route, but
the best view may be in front of
the Brooklyn Museum, where
each of the acts will put on a
show for the judges.
Be sure to check out the many
elaborate feathered outfits —
many of which take an entire
year to construct — dance to the
steel pan bands, and get a dish of
curried goat or jerk chicken from
the many food vendors along the
route.
New York Caribbean Carnival
Parade (Eastern Parkway between
Schnectady Avenue and Grand
Army Plaza in Crown Heights,
www.wiadcacarnvial.org). June 2;
11 a.m.–6 p.m. Free.
By Aidan Graham Long live the King!
The historic Kings
Theatre in Flatbush has
prepared for its 90th birthday
next week with a series of new
renovations designed to make
the Jazz Age venue bigger and
better.
The theater— which first
opened as the Loews Theatre
on Sept. 7, 1929 — recently
added space to it 3,000-seat
auditorium, reworking the
orchestra pit so that it can
accommodate 500 extra audience
members, with an adaptive
setup to allow room for
standing or seating, said the
theater’s marketing director.
“We were looking for more
f lexibility in the way that we
can use the space,” said Sarah
Weiss. “We’re now able to
have more diverse musical
programming, where people
want to be on their feet, and
more ways that we can use the
space.”
In addition to expanding
the main theater, the venue
has also found room in its
expansive lobby for a new
performance space: the
newly opened Kings Comedy
Lounge.
“It’s a great space in that
we can continue to grow and
provide a performance area
for new, developing artists —
especially if they’re from the
neighborhood,” said Weiss. “It
gives us the ability to showcase
artists who are up-andcoming.”
Early-bird patrons and
after-show stragglers can also
visit the theater’s outdoor
courtyard, which opened late
last year , she added.
“We host vendors that set
up carts and tents — and we
try and focus on business that
are in the neighborhood,” said
Weiss.
The newly remodeled space
is perfect for the upcoming
class of A-listers visiting the
theater in the coming months,
said Weiss.
“I’m really excited for
the Raconteurs, and Jenny
Lewis,” she said. “We also
have our ‘welcoming the
authors’ events, with Malcolm
Gladwell and Ta-Nehisi
Coates — they’re showcasing
their new works. It’s exciting
to have them in conversation
about their new releases.”
The changes are all part
of an effort to make sure the
90-year-old theater remains
up-to-date and relevant to the
neighborhood.
“We have some really exciting
things in the works,” said
Weiss. “This year, we have a
few more younger artists who
are on their way up. It’s exciting
to see that Kings is part of
that scene.”
The theater fell into neglect
during the late 20th century,
but was restored in 2015 after
a $95-million renovation.
See the renovations for
yourself at the Kings Theatre
“Happy Hour Tour” 1027
Flatbush Ave. between Tilden
Avenue and Duryea Place in
Flatbush, (800) 745–3000,
www.kingstheatre.com. Sept.
6 at 6:30 p.m. $30.
Feather-clad parade-goers strut their stuff at the West Indian Day Parade on Labor
Day every year. Photo by Paul Martinka
Royal red: After sitting empty for years, the Kings Theatre was restored to
its former glory in 2015, and further renovations have expanded the space
in time for its 90th birthday. Photo by Paul Martinka
Gilded age
INDIES ROCK!
Weekend of West Indian celebration
Kings Theatre readies
for its 90th birthday
Sound off: The Pan Fantasy Steel Band will compete in Panorama 2019 at the
Brooklyn Museum on Aug. 31. Photo by Angel Zayas
/www.wiadcacarnival
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/www.kingstheatre.com
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