Sesame Flyers Goes “Egyptian Royale” for New York Carnival 2015

Kings, queens, warriors and gods took over Brooklyn as Sesame Flyers International unveiled an ancient-Egypt-inspired world for New York Carnival 2015.

The presentation, “Egyptian Royale,” transformed Sesame’s annual band launch into a showcase of elaborate headdresses, jewels, feathers and costumes inspired by the imagery and hierarchy of ancient Egypt. Contemporary coverage described designs ranging from Egyptian warriors through kings, queens and gods.

Julianspromos captured highlights from the launch for “2015 Sesame Carnival NY Mas Band Launch Highlights - Egyptian Royal,” preserving an early look at the costumes months before they took over Eastern Parkway. The video was published on July 27, 2015.

Welcome to “Egyptian Royale”

Sesame Flyers went big with the 2015 concept.

The presentation featured 10 individual costume sections, each carrying its own color combination and design while remaining connected to the larger Egyptian Royale theme. Cultural documentation of Sesame Flyers later recorded that costumes ranged from comparatively simple options to elaborate king and queen pieces.

That variety was important.

A Carnival band isn't one costume repeated hundreds of times. Each section gives masqueraders a different way to enter the same story.

With Egyptian Royale, Sesame could move between warriors, royalty, mythology and elaborate ceremonial imagery while still keeping the band visually connected once everyone reached the road.

A Launch That Quickly Got Attention

The reaction to Egyptian Royale apparently started almost immediately.

A contemporary review published just after the launch reported that some costume options were already sold out within the first week. The same account credited Stronjeh Creations with helping develop the presentation and praised the way the costumes and venue worked together to create the Egyptian atmosphere.

That matters because band launches are not only shows.

They're sales nights.

Masqueraders are watching the stage deciding which section they want, whether they want frontline or backline, who they're playing with and how much they're willing to spend for the Carnival experience.

For Sesame Flyers in 2015, the launch appears to have done exactly what it needed to do.

People wanted in.

600 Masqueraders Prepare for the Parkway

By Carnival, Egyptian Royale had grown into a major operation.

Research on Sesame Flyers documented approximately 600 costumed masqueraders participating in the 2015 presentation. The same research noted that Sesame's band size historically moved between roughly 300 and 1,200 participants depending on the season.

Producing a band of that size meant much more than what viewers saw during the launch.

Costumes had to be manufactured and distributed.

Children's mas had to be prepared.

Large king and queen pieces had to be constructed.

Hundreds of masqueraders had to be organized for Labor Day.

And every one of those individual sections eventually had to become a single presentation on Eastern Parkway.

From the Launch to Eastern Parkway

When Labor Day arrived, Egyptian Royale was no longer a costume preview.

It was competition.

The 2015 results show Sesame Flyers finishing second in the Adult Large Band of the Year category with Egyptian Royal/Royale. Ramajay Mas took first with Nirvana - Freedom of Self, while Freaks Mas finished third with Behold the Throne.

Sesame also picked up one of the year's biggest individual costume victories.

Kay Mason won Adult Queen representing Sesame Flyers with “Mythical Birds of Peace, Love and Prosperity.”

The band's Egyptian presentation was visible elsewhere in the competition as well. Jaedyn Phillips placed second in Junior King portraying “Dragon of the Nile,” and Sesame finished second in the Junior Large Band category with its children's version of Egyptian Royale.

So what began at the band launch ultimately became one of the stronger competitive presentations of New York Carnival 2015.

Nefertiti and Egyptian Royalty on the Road

Surviving photographs from the 2015 Carnival add another piece to the story.

Contemporary road coverage identified Sesame masqueraders Ryan and Pam John playing in a section named “Nefertiti,” while other photographs show masqueraders in Egyptian Royal costumes on Eastern Parkway.

That connection between launch and road is exactly what makes the old Julianspromos footage more interesting today.

At the launch, everything was pristine.

The costumes were being modeled.

Masqueraders were still choosing sections.

Eastern Parkway was months away.

By September, those same ideas had become a 600-person Carnival band.

From “Vogue” to “Egyptian Royale”

The footage also continues a Sesame Flyers story already preserved in the Julianspromos archive.

In 2013, Sesame brought fashion and Carnival together with Vogue.

Two years later, the band went in a completely different direction, traveling back to the imagery of ancient Egypt for Egyptian Royale.

That is why these launches work so well as individual yearly archive stories.

The band stays the same.

But every Carnival season creates an entirely new world.

In 2015, Sesame Flyers built that world around warriors, kings, queens, gods and Egyptian royalty.

And before 600 masqueraders brought it to Eastern Parkway, Julianspromos was there when Brooklyn got its first look.