City will vibrate to Caribbean beat tomorrow

Friday, July 24, 2009
By PAUL TAKAHASHI
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Craving a weekend getaway to somewhere tropical?

Well, area residents don't have to travel far. Tomorrow, the 13th Annual Caribbean Carnival - replete with a big parade, traditional food and colorful costumes - is coming to Jersey City.

"This carnival gives opportunity for the Caribbean nations and the American nation to come together for a fun education day from sun up to sun down," said Cheryl DB Murphy, founder and CEO of the Jersey City West Indian Caribbean American Carnival Association, Inc, the organization that puts on the parade.

The carnival started in 1996 as part of the city's "Slice of Heaven Festival" but has since branched off into its own event, attracting thousands of people of all nationalities. Between 12 and 15 Caribbean nations will be represented in the parade, Murphy said.

"We attract people from all over," she said, noting that Jersey City is just one stop in a series of carnivals across North America. "It's overwhelming, the support we get from so many communities."

Tomorrow's festivities will begin at 9 a.m. with a VIP scholarship breakfast at the Gateway Restaurant, at 459 Martin Luther King Drive.

The parade kicks off at noon at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Belmont Avenue, and will proceed past City Hall and back to the Gateway Restaurant for an after-party with special guest artists and deejays from WBLS Radio providing entertainment until 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

Click below to listen to WBLS:
https://www.reciva.com/index.php?searc ... =com_cloud&action=search#

The carnival used to be a two-day event, with a parade on the first day and a music concert with vendors on the second.

But Murphy's group couldn't meet the city's $11,000 bill last year to pay for the off-duty cops and other necessary permits, so only the parade was held.

"God willing, with sponsorship, the (two-day) festival will return," Murphy said. "People are enthused and excited. Carnival fever has hit Jersey City in a big way."