Wii Carnival New York 2014: Machel Montano & Soca Stars in Brooklyn
On Saturday, August 30, 2014, Wii Carnival brought a massive Soca lineup to Brooklyn during New York’s Labor Day Carnival Weekend.
Held at the Pulse48 Outdoor Complex, the Saturday-night fete was headlined by Machel Montano and the HD Family, with Patrice Roberts, Farmer Nappy, Skinny Fabulous, Mr Killa, Maximus Dan, Olatunji, Yankey Boy, Rayzor, Leonce and The Request Band all advertised as part of the live entertainment.
Julianspromos was inside the event capturing the performances and Carnival-weekend atmosphere, with Intrigue Lane hosting the coverage and Julian C. Hackett behind the video production.
The Ultimate Labor Day Saturday Night Fete
The official flyers billed Wii Carnival as “The Ultimate Labor Day Saturday Night Fete.”
Doors opened at 7:00 PM, with showtime advertised for 10:00 PM sharp.
The event brought together a lineup built almost completely around live Soca, giving New York Carnival Weekend a major concert-style fete two nights before the West Indian Day Carnival parade on Eastern Parkway.
Early-bird tickets were advertised at $40 during a one-day July sale, with advance tickets later priced at $50. Limited cabanas were also promoted.
A Full Night of Soca
Wii Carnival was packed with artists representing different corners of the Soca scene.
Alongside Machel Montano and the HD Family were familiar HD voices Patrice Roberts and Farmer Nappy, while Skinny Fabulous brought St. Vincent, Mr Killa represented Grenada and performers including Maximus Dan, Olatunji and Yankey Boy added even more Trinidad and Tobago talent to the stage.
Rayzor and Leonce, alongside The Request Band, were also advertised as part of the live lineup.
A contemporary recap published just days later remembered the event as the only party the writer attended that weekend that stayed entirely Soca from beginning to end. The same account noted that despite rumors beforehand that the party might not happen or that Machel would not appear, the advertised performers took the stage and were received enthusiastically.
Machel Montano & The HD Family Live
At the center of Wii Carnival was Machel Montano, arriving in New York during another major year in his career.
Only months earlier, his 2014 Carnival season had produced records including “Ministry of Road,” “Happiest Man Alive” and “Epic,” making his Labor Day Weekend appearances some of the most anticipated Soca performances in New York that year.
The surviving coverage captures Machel and the HD Family in the middle of that period, alongside artists who were helping shape the sound of the 2014 Soca season.
The live set moved between newer music and familiar Machel favorites, while Farmer Nappy also joined him during the performance.
Mr Killa, Skinny Fabulous & More on Stage
Wii Carnival was not built around one performance alone.
Mr Killa arrived in New York during the breakthrough year of “Rolly Polly,” while Skinny Fabulous, Olatunji, Maximus Dan, Yankey Boy and the wider lineup kept the event moving through a night of back-to-back Soca performances.
That depth is part of what makes the surviving coverage interesting today.
Rather than preserving only one headline set, the footage and photographs capture several artists together during the same New York Carnival season.
Watch Wii Carnival New York 2014
The original Julianspromos video captures highlights from Wii Carnival at Pulse48 on August 30, 2014, preserving the artists, live performances and crowd atmosphere from the Saturday-night fete.
Host: Intrigue Lane
Video Production: Julian C. Hackett
Video Release Date: September 15, 2014
Wii Carnival New York 2014 Photo Gallery
Alongside the surviving video, the Julianspromos archive preserves an extensive collection of original photographs from Wii Carnival.
The gallery captures more of the performers, stage action and people inside Pulse48 that night, adding another visual record of New York Carnival Weekend 2014.
Powered by Shell Cartel, Daddy Grace & Care Free Nation
The original event artwork credits Shell Cartel Entertainment, Daddy Grace Entertainment and Care Free Nation with powering Wii Carnival.
The event took place at Pulse48 Outdoor Complex, 1020 East 48th Street in Brooklyn, a venue that became closely associated with large Caribbean concerts and fetes during this period.
Wii Carnival fit naturally into that setting: a large Labor Day Weekend lineup, live bands, Soca and an audience already counting down to Carnival Monday.
From the Julianspromos Archives
Wii Carnival captures another piece of New York Carnival Weekend 2014 at a time when the Julianspromos archive was documenting much more than the parade itself.
Across the weekend, the growing archive followed Caribbean culture through concerts, fetes, daytime parties and the road, preserving the wider network of events that made Labor Day Weekend one of the busiest periods of the year for Caribbean entertainment in New York.
For Wii Carnival, Intrigue Lane brought viewers inside the fete as the Julianspromos host while Julian C. Hackett handled the video production.
The surviving video and photographs now preserve a night when Machel Montano and the HD Family shared a Brooklyn stage with Mr Killa, Skinny Fabulous, Patrice Roberts, Farmer Nappy, Olatunji and a deep lineup of Soca talent.
More than a decade later, it is another snapshot of what Saturday night during New York Carnival Weekend looked and sounded like on August 30, 2014.
Event Details
Event: Wii Carnival New York 2014
Date: Saturday, August 30, 2014
Venue: Pulse48 Outdoor Complex
Address: 1020 East 48th Street, Brooklyn, New York
Doors: 7:00 PM
Showtime: 10:00 PM
Headliner: Machel Montano & The HD Family
Advertised Artists: Patrice Roberts, Farmer Nappy, Skinny Fabulous, Mr Killa, Maximus Dan, Olatunji, Yankey Boy, Rayzor, Leonce, The Request Band
Powered By: Shell Cartel Entertainment, Daddy Grace Entertainment, Care Free Nation
Advance Tickets: $50
Host: Intrigue Lane
Video Production: Julian C. Hackett
Video Release Date: September 15, 2014
Wii Carnival landed right in the middle of New York’s biggest Caribbean weekend — one Saturday night, one packed Soca lineup and another moment preserved in the Julianspromos archives.
