Long Island Carnival became a buzzword on September 9,1998, when a group of carnival enthusiasts met to discuss plans to introduce a Trinidad and Tobago style carnival to Long Island. This meeting was followed by a Town Meeting in Baldwin where further details were presented to an eager audience. On September 11, 1999, Hempstead Turnpike was transformed into a sea of spectators, masqueraders and revellers as the first Carnival was launched on Long Island. Politicans, including Mayor Garner, who was the Carnival's Grand Marshall, led the parade as it emerged in vibrancy from the Municipal Parking lot in Hempstead to its destination at Nassau Community College. Carnival was brought to Long Island so that the communities would be exposed to the rich multi-culture, pageantry, tradition and folklore of the peoples of the Caribbean. Thus, Long Island joined the many other cities, in Europe, North and South America, and beyond, which have successfully introduced carnival, one of the greatest shows on Earth, to its citizens.

One of the many goals of the Long Island Committee was to make this carnival one of inclusion. As such, the Committee encouraged participation from all the Caribbean Islands and the Community at large. Masqueraders representing numerous bands also participated; some of them included Hawks, Sesame Flyers, Adlib Steel Orchestra and Borokeete USA. The Carnival Committee encouraged masqueraders who participated in the Brooklyn Labor Day Carnival to preserve their costumes and display them a second time at the Long Island Carnival. Thus the first Long Island Carnival was declared a resounding success, as it introduced, with pageantry, artistry, color and panache, the culture of the Caribbean to the Long Island community.

In 2000, with even more grandeur and color, carnival triumphantly emerged and flourished on Long Island for the second straight year.

Word soon got around that Hempstead was the place to be for carnival, and by the 2001 Long Island Carnival, enthusiasts travelled by car, chartered bus, train, motor bike, and taxi to converge on the turnpike. The response was phenomenal. Vendors along the parade route saw their supplies of food quickly evaporate as the spectators bought up everything on their way to the grounds of the Nassau Community College. Afterwards, several newspapers wrote many positive articles about the Carnival and estimated that there were many thousand of spectators. Attendance rose by over 300% as compared to the previous year.

It was time to get back to the drawing board as the Long Island Committee, in conjunction with Mayor Garner, the police department, community personnel, politicians and other carnival participants, met again to plan for Carnival 2002. Due to the huge success of the previous year, the Carnival had begun to outgrow its designated space at the Community College. The increase in revellers, spectators and well wishers made it obvious that a new venue for the next Carnival had to be sought after. It was also imperative that we maintain the integrity and quality of the carnival and at the same time provide a safe and secure environment for the carnival supporters. After much debate and brainstorming a decision was made to change the venue and route of the carnival. As such, Carnival 2002 started adjacent to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, followed a route west along Hempstead Turnpike, and concluded at the Hempstead Municipal Parking Lot at Fulton and Washington Streets. For yet another year, thousands of people flooded the streets of Hempstead, and masqueraders with fantastic and impressive costumes adorned the street. The quality and quantity of organized bands improved. The revellers took to the street in the true spirit of carnival to jump up and enjoy the freedom. The Municipal Parking lot was bursting at its seams as over 15,000 spectators, masqueraders, and revellers attempted to squeeze themselves into the now limited and quickly disappearing space. The vendors benefitted from this opportunity to sell virtually anything that could be freely bought, from the various ethnic foods and CDs to the ubiquitous tee shirts and clothing, and everything else in between, and local businessmen along the parade route and in the area "made a killing" due to the heavy demand for food and drinks.

Presently, the Long Island Carnival Committee is in the throes of planning for the 2003 carnival. Another venue is being sought after. It is projected that as the Long Island Carnival continues to grow at its present phenomenal rate, it will rival the likes of the Labor Day Carnival in Brooklyn, Caribana in Toronto, Nottingham Carnival in England and even challenge the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, the mother of all carnivals. Long Island Carnival has the potential to become a viable tourist attraction, bringing an economic upsurge to the communities that physically house and endorse it. The tourist attraction suggests an economic gain to major businesses. Similar to the other carnivals in places like Brooklyn, Toronto, and Miami, the hotel industry will also benefit as people plan short getaways and vacations in the area. As well, the train services, taxi services, area restaurants, local shops and supermarkets, stores and eateries stand to benefit handsomely from a Caribbean-style carnival in any area. Even the businesses that might be termed as ancillary or secondary in nature will also reap the benefits of a West Indian carnival in its neighborhood. Long Island Carnival is alive and growing. It is flexing its infant muscles as an economic and cultural force with which to be reckoned.

By Michael D. Dickson
Edited by J. Meade