2015 New York West Indian American Day Carnival Parade: Sesame Flyers Brings “Egyptian Royale” to Eastern Parkway
Eastern Parkway came alive with feathers, flags, Soca and mas on Monday, September 7, 2015, as the West Indian American Day Carnival Association presented its annual Labor Day celebration in Brooklyn.
The 2015 parade marked the celebration’s 48th anniversary, bringing Caribbean communities, costume bands and spectators together for one of New York City’s biggest displays of Caribbean culture.
Among the bands on the road was Sesame Flyers International, carrying its 2015 presentation, “Egyptian Royale,” onto Eastern Parkway.
“Egyptian Royale” Comes to Life
Sesame Flyers International built Egyptian Royale around the imagery of ancient Egyptian royalty, mythology and elaborate ceremonial dress.
The 2015 presentation offered masqueraders a choice of 10 costume sections, each with its own colors and interpretation of the theme.
By Labor Day, approximately 600 costumed masqueraders had joined Egyptian Royale.
On Eastern Parkway, the costumes had an entirely different life from the band-launch stage.
Feathers moved with every step. Beading and jewels caught the daylight. Music trucks pushed Soca down the Parkway while hundreds of masqueraders transformed the theme into a moving Carnival presentation.
Inside the Alarsh Section
Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson played mas with Sesame Flyers International in the Alarsh (Mid Line) section, wearing a costume designed by Stronjeh Creations.
From inside the band, she could experience the same music, movement and road energy surrounding the other masqueraders while hosting the coverage.
Interviews and Carnival moments unfolded naturally as the band moved along Eastern Parkway, giving viewers a perspective from within Egyptian Royale rather than from behind the parade barriers.
Labor Day on Eastern Parkway
For decades, Eastern Parkway has been home to Brooklyn’s major West Indian Carnival parade.
Mas bands brought their individual themes onto the road while Caribbean flags, steelpan traditions, DJs, food and Soca filled the surrounding streets.
Each band created its own world for the day.
For Sesame Flyers International, that world was Egyptian Royale.
What had started months earlier as individual costumes and sections was now one large presentation moving through Brooklyn.
From the Band Launch to the Parkway
The Labor Day parade completed a Carnival journey that began earlier in the season when Sesame Flyers International unveiled Egyptian Royale at its 2015 band launch.
At the launch, the costumes had been introduced section by section.
https://julianspromos.com/archives/sesame-flyers-egyptian-royale-new-york-carnival-2015
On September 7, those designs were surrounded by everything they were ultimately created for — music, movement, sunshine, crowds and hundreds of masqueraders playing mas together.
For the masqueraders who had selected their sections and prepared throughout the summer, Eastern Parkway was the payoff.
From the Julianspromos Archives
Julianspromos documented the West Indian American Day Carnival Parade on September 7, 2015, joining Sesame Flyers International for its Egyptian Royale presentation on Eastern Parkway.
Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson hosted the coverage while playing mas in the Alarsh (Mid Line) section in a costume designed by Stronjeh Creations.
Julian C. Hackett filmed and edited the footage, capturing Sesame Flyers International and the wider Labor Day Carnival experience from inside the road.
The original “2015 West Indian Day Carnival Highlights - New York” video was uploaded to the Julianspromos YouTube channel on September 8, 2015.
Together with the earlier Egyptian Royale band-launch coverage and the extensive road photography, the footage documents both the unveiling of Sesame Flyers International’s 2015 presentation and the day hundreds of masqueraders brought it to Eastern Parkway.
