The mother of all Caribbean parties in the United States, the 43rd Annual West Indian Carnival Festival 2010 kicks off on September 2 in New York City. This Brooklyn-anchored historic event has been describes as the largest parade and festival in the United States. In past years, organisers say, the event has attracted over 3.5 million participants, effectively pulling more people that the population of the entire island of Jamaica. It is the only annual entertainment event that is assailed by nearly every media entity in the city, big and small, and certainly the only New York City bashment where millions of party goers would still show up even if not one single ad were carried on the airwaves.

This monster carnival is expected to be no less robust this year, especially with the glaring absence this summer of another magnet on the New York Caribbean entertainment calendar, Irie Jamboree. The West Indian Carnival will host seven events from September 2 to 6 that will kick off with a benefit concert for Haiti on September 2 at Brooklyn Museum. This concert will be headlined by Wyclef Jean and will also feature David Rudder, Kevin Lyttle, Serani, Carimi, Bruck Up, Pupa Leendi, Bud Ramsey, Kevon Carter and many more artists from across the Caribbean.

Other carnival events are the Junior (Kiddies) Carnival on Friday September 3. The Brass Fest will also happen on the same day featuring Machel Montano, Patrice Roberts, Farmer Nappy, Destra, Krosfyah, Denise Belfon, Lyrikal, Lady Saw and Talpree. Saturday September 4 is Steel Band Panorama Competition. Sunday September 5 is Dimanche Gras when carnival king and queen will be crowned.

The festival reaches a colourful and explosive crescendo on Monday September 6 with the Eastern Parkway Labour Day Parade showcasing an unending train of costumed bands, masquerades, jumbies, floats and dance groups. Both sides of Eastern Parkway are typically jam-packed with wall to wall revelers savoring nostalgic Caribbean foods from unending ribbons of vendors whose collective aromatic herbs and spices provide fragrance for the many miles of the parade route.

The West Indian Carnival is also the ultimate dream of every Caribbean marketer. With millions attending the event, it has historically brought out the A list of Caribbean companies to the forefront. This year, the Caribbean companies will still be there but it’s a French company, Moet Hennessy USA, producers of premium liquor brands that is the title sponsor. Moet Hennessy does have a connection to the Caribbean as their relatively new rum brand, Ten Cane, is manufactured in Trinidad & Tobago. So on Thursday, August 5, Moet Hennessy USA is hosting a press reception at their plush corporate headquarters in New York to woo new Caribbean converts to their products.

“The RSVPs for the Moet Hennessy press reception have been very heavy, and that’s because the soiree represents the partnership of two very powerful brands in the market, Carnival and Moet Hennessy,” Anthony Turner, media marketer for the press reception who also handled press for Irie Jamboree said.

While one of the reasons given for the cancellation of Irie Jamboree this year was reduced inventory of reggae artists available to work in the United States, it would appear that the inventory issue has had no impact on the staging of Carnival 2010. This may be due to the fact that Carnival is more so grounded in soca than in reggae. In any event, there are few reggae artistes listed on the overall performance lineup.

The West Indian Carnival Festival is produced and presented by The West Indian American Day Carnival Association, Inc (WIADCA). The parade and related events have grown over the years from attracting thousands to millions and the surge in tourists visiting the city for the event has been a tremendous economic benefit to both large corporations and small businesses.