Release #049-97

Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958 or Jack Deacy (212) 788-2969

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today joined Carlos Lezama, President of the West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA), at City Hall to announce plans for the 30th anniversary of the West Indian American Day Carnival, which is celebrated annually on Labor Day along Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. This year's event, which is expected to draw approximately two million marchers and spectators, will be held on Labor Day, Monday, September 1.

The Mayor was also joined by Deputy Mayor Rudy Washington, WIADCA Board Members, leaders from the West Indian communities and corporate sponsors of the annual celebration of West Indian culture and community.

"The West Indian American Day Carnival is one of the City's largest and most colorful celebrations where millions of New Yorkers and others from around the world turn out to enjoy the music, the food, the costumes and the rich culture of West Indian communities," Mayor Giuliani said. "And this year, as the Carnival celebrates its 30th year, the theme will be an international one, with many other cultures and groups represented. And I look forward to being there to march and celebrate with you."

"This year to celebrate our 30th anniversary, the West Indian American Day Carnival is going international," said Carlos Lezama, who has served as President of the WIADC Association for the past 29 years. "We'll be celebrating the cultural heritages of many other groups and including them in all aspects of the Carnival. In this way we can celebrate the rich cultural diversity of New York City. We want to thank Mayor Giuliani for the tremendous assistance that the City of New York provides to make this wonderful day possible. And we also want to thank our many sponsors and supporters whose help is invaluable in planning an event of this size and significance."

This year's day-long Carnival will feature a lineup of international music stars representing the Latino, Jamaican, French Creole, Indian and Caribbean communities and cultures. For the first time groups from Brazil, Haiti and other countries will add their cultural influence to the Carnival's line of march and festivities.

The roots of Brooklyn's West Indian American Day Carnival go back to Trinidad when celebrations began in the 1700's. It was first celebrated in New York City in the 1930's when a Trinidadian immigrant woman, Jessie Wardell, organized indoor celebrations in the Savoy and Renaissance Ballrooms in Harlem. During the 1940's, Ms. Wardell obtained the first street permit to celebrate Carnival outdoors along Lenox Avenue in Harlem. The Carnival was brought to Brooklyn by Rufus Goring who organized the first celebration 30 years ago. The first Brooklyn Carnival attracted only a few thousand people but the event has evolved into one of the largest such celebrations in the world.

As Labor Day nears, the WIADC Association will be planning a number of events, including a dinner dance, a cruise around Manhattan and a Gracie Mansion reception hosted by Mayor Giuliani. The Association acknowledged the assistance of the New York City Police Department, the Fire Department and the Emergency Medical Service, the Parks Department, the Department of Sanitation, the Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority - New York City Transit Authority.

Government sponsors include the Office of the Mayor, the City's Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council On The Arts, Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden, the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Corporate sponsors include AT&T, American Airlines, ABC Television, AST Sound Systems, Angostura International, Brooklyn Union, BWIA International Airlines, Con Edison, Caribbean-American Center of New York, Canal Hi Fi Sound, Crown International, Chase Bank, Citibank, Circle Line Cruises, Cablevision of New York City, Guinness Import Company, Heineken USA Inc., JMC Entertainment, New York Daily News, New York 1 Television, NYNEX, Pepsi-Cola, Schieffelin & Somerset Co., Time-Warner, Western Union, WLIB Radio, WBLS Radio and WNWK Radio.