J'OUVERT
Artist: David Katzenstein
Text: Gay Feldman
J’Ouvert (opening) is the Caribbean pre-dawn festival marking the beginning of Lent. In NYC, this tradition has been incorporated within The West Indian American Day Carnival in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Gathering well before sunrise, the party begins as revellers descend upon the scene clad in a gorgeous array of interpretive garb and body paint. The sounds of steel band music fill the air, waking up the neighborhood, calling all to join the celebration in anticipation of the day time parade that attracts over one million participants and spectators.