Ice Gold & Green New York 2014–2015: Two Memorial Weekends of Paint, Powder & Soca
For two consecutive Memorial Weekends, Ice Gold Green brought paint, powder, water, Soca and J’Ouvert energy to Brooklyn — and Julianspromos was there for both.
In 2014 and 2015, Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson hosted the Julianspromos coverage, getting right into the color and chaos while Julian C. Hackett shot and edited both years.
The two editions captured the same basic idea in different settings: start early, turn up the Soca and expect to leave looking nothing like you did when you arrived.
Ice Gold & Greenz 2014
The 2014 Ice Gold & Greenz edition took place on Sunday, May 25, 2014, kicking off Memorial Weekend Sunday with doors opening at 10 AM.
Presented by Jabby Promotions, G-Force Entertainment, Maestro Entertainment and 473 Party Rockers, the party brought together a heavy lineup of New York Caribbean sounds.
Music came from Infrared Sounds, Pantrin Vybez, Elegance Sounds, Boom Champions, Freeze International, Little B and Hotstepper, while the Greenz Rhythm Brothers added live drumming to the experience.
Paint was everywhere.
Red, yellow and green became part of the dress code whether patrons planned for it or not, as the fete mixed the freedom of J’Ouvert with the energy of a Memorial Weekend day party.
Ice Gold & Greenz returned for Memorial Weekend in Brooklyn on Sunday, May 25, 2014.
Vivaa Goes Into the Paint
This wasn’t an event that could be covered from the sidelines.
Vivaa took the Julianspromos microphone into the middle of the party, surrounded by patrons covered in paint and enjoying the music.
That gave the 2014 footage the feeling of actually being inside the fete rather than simply watching it from outside the crowd.
Julian C. Hackett shot and edited the coverage, capturing the DJs, live drums and colorful scenes around the event.
Event Date: May 25, 2014
Video Upload Date: May 30, 2014
Julianspromos Host: Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson
Shot & Edited By: Julian C. Hackett
Ice Gold & Greenz 2014 Photo Gallery
Paint, powder, music and the crowd all became part of the look of Ice Gold & Greenz.
The 2014 photographs capture the party at its most colorful, from patrons already covered from head to toe to the sounds and personalities keeping the fete moving.
Ice Gold Green Returns in 2015
One year later, it was time to do it all over again.
Ice Gold & Green 2015 took place on Sunday, May 24, 2015, returning on Memorial Weekend with the theme:
“Welcome to J’Ouvert Without Limits.”
This time, the party started even earlier.
Doors opened at 8 AM at PAC Plex, located at 1500 Paerdegat Avenue North in Brooklyn, turning the sports complex into an early-morning paint and Soca playground.
Ice Gold & Green returned on May 24, 2015 with “Welcome to J’Ouvert Without Limits.”
J’Ouvert Without Limits
The 2015 artwork made the concept clear before anyone entered the venue.
Paint-covered bodies, Jab figures, fire and J’Ouvert imagery pushed the event further into the traditional paint-and-powder experience.
The music lineup again brought together several familiar names from New York’s Caribbean party circuit, including Pantrin Vybez, Freeze International, Elegance Sounds, Infrared Sounds, Hotstepper and Boom Champions, along with additional DJs and sounds.
The Greenz Rhythm Brothers returned with live drumming, adding the raw percussion that fits naturally with a J’Ouvert-inspired event.
The event was also advertised as hosted by Shakiera & Mad People Alliance.
Vivaa Returns for Round Two
After hosting the 2014 Julianspromos coverage, Vivaa returned in 2015 for another trip into Ice Gold Green.
By now, the formula was familiar: Soca playing, paint flying and the crowd fully committed to the experience.
Having Julianspromos at the event for consecutive years also created something more than two individual highlight videos.
Together, they show how the party returned and evolved from one Memorial Weekend to the next.
Watch Ice Gold Green 2015
Event Date: May 24, 2015
Video Upload Date: June 2, 2015
Venue: PAC Plex
Location: 1500 Paerdegat Avenue North, Brooklyn, New York
Julianspromos Host: Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson
Shot & Edited By: Julian C. Hackett
Ice Gold Green 2015 Photo Gallery
The 2015 photos bring another round of color to the story.
Paint-covered patrons, DJs, J’Ouvert imagery and the early-morning crowd show why Ice Gold Green had become more than a standard Sunday fete.
Two Years, One Very Messy Memorial Weekend Tradition
What connected the two years wasn’t a headline artist.
It was the experience.
Ice Gold Green was built around Soca, sounds, live drums, paint, powder, water and participation.
You weren’t supposed to stand around looking clean.
The crowd was part of the show.
That made the event especially visual — and exactly the kind of party where the photos and videos tell as much of the story as the lineup.
From the Julianspromos Archives
The Ice Gold Green coverage also captures an important part of Julianspromos’ New York work during the middle of the 2010s.
By 2014, Julianspromos was regularly documenting the Caribbean events surrounding Carnival culture throughout the year — not only the major Labor Day weekend events.
Returning to Ice Gold Green in 2015 continued that story.
Vivaa hosted both years, while Julian C. Hackett shot and edited both editions, giving the archive consecutive looks at the same Memorial Weekend experience.
Side by side, the 2014 and 2015 videos and photographs show the kind of New York Caribbean party culture that existed between the major Carnival dates: early mornings, sound systems, live drums, paint everywhere and Soca loud enough to start summer properly.
Event Details
2014 Event: Ice Gold & Greenz
Date: Sunday, May 25, 2014
Doors: 10 AM
Presented By: Jabby Promotions, G-Force Entertainment, Maestro Entertainment & 473 Party Rockers
Music: Infrared Sounds, Pantrin Vybez, Elegance Sounds, Boom Champions, Freeze International, Little B, Hotstepper
Live Drumming: Greenz Rhythm Brothers
Julianspromos Host: Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson
Shot & Edited By: Julian C. Hackett
Video Upload Date: May 30, 2014
2015 Event: Ice Gold & Green – Welcome to J’Ouvert Without Limits
Date: Sunday, May 24, 2015
Doors: 8 AM
Venue: PAC Plex
Address: 1500 Paerdegat Avenue North, Brooklyn, New York
Event Hosts: Shakiera & Mad People Alliance
Live Drumming: Greenz Rhythm Brothers
Julianspromos Host: Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson
Shot & Edited By: Julian C. Hackett
Video Upload Date: June 2, 2015
