It is time to let the good times roll, again! The 8th Annual Queens Carnival will barrel into Far Rockaway on Saturday, August 29, but the fun and preparations start now.
On Friday, July 31, the Rockaway Beach Merchant’s Association (REMA4US) and Rockaway Development & Revitalization Corporation will partner for a Pop-Up Carnival Launch. This mini-Carnival will begin at 4 p.m. and feature music, dancing, Caribbean costumes, food and family activities. The Launch will take place at the Beach 21st Street Plaza and kickoff four weeks of activities leading up to the big event.
On August 8, there will be a Boat Ride fundraiser on the Sir Winston New York, leaving from Brooklyn Army Terminal, near where the Rockaway ferry docks. Tickets are $75. Boarding begins at 1 p.m.
Each year, more than 5,000 people from all around travel to Far Rockaway to celebrate Caribbean culture at Senator James Sanders Jr.’s event. Revelers dress in traditional, often colorful, costumes from island nations like Barbados, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Numerous floats will assemble at Bayswater Park around 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 29. The parade marches along Beach Channel Drive to Mott Avenue then turns down Beach 20th Street, snaking its way to Seagirt Boulevard. It enters the boardwalk at Beach 9th Street and ends at O’Donohue Park.
Caribbean and other food will be available from vendors and at Dredsurfer Grill. Beginning at 2 p.m., there will be a series of live musical performances at the bandshell featuring soca music stars Yankee Boy, Ricochae and Iwer George.
Volunteers are needed for food service, parade route management, set-up and clean-up, and security. Contact Safeeka Powell at powell@nysenate.gov if you are interested.
