Screenshot/Melissa Mais
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News Americas, BROOKLYN, NY, Sun. Sept. 6, 2026: The countdown is on for the 59th Annual New York West Indian American Day Carnival tomorrow, with Jamaican reggae icon Buju Banton and Trinidad and Tobago soca star Kees Dieffenthaller, better known as Kes, named honorary grand marshals of this year’s Labor Day parade.
The West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA) announced that the two Caribbean music stars will help lead the annual celebration on Monday, Sept. 7, along Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York. Their selection reflects this year’s theme, “One Caribbean,” bringing together two of the region’s most internationally recognized musical traditions – Jamaica’s reggae and dancehall and Trinidad and Tobago’s soca and Carnival culture.
FLASHBACK – KES attends the Inaugural Caribbean Music Awards at Kings Theatre on August 31, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
“The appointment of Kees Dieffenthaller of KesTheBand and Buju Banton as Honorary Grand Marshals is a powerful representation of what One Caribbean means to us,” the WIADCA Board of Directors said. “They have each carried Caribbean music and culture to the world, while remaining deeply rooted in the communities and traditions that shaped them.”
Grammy-winning Banton has spent decades taking Jamaican reggae and dancehall to audiences worldwide, while Kes, lead vocalist of KesTheBand, has become one of contemporary soca’s most recognizable international ambassadors.
Buju Banton for West Indian American Day Carnival
Together, organizers say, the artists symbolize the cultural connections that unite Caribbean people across national borders, generations and musical traditions. The two will be formally recognized earlier on Carnival Day during WIADCA’s 59th Annual VIP Breakfast, scheduled from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the Carlos Lezama Netball Court at Lincoln Terrace Park in Brooklyn.
Held under the theme “M.A.S.: Music, Action, Soul – Enjoy the Rhythm, Feel the Mas,” the breakfast will bring together elected officials, community leaders, business executives, cultural ambassadors and members of New York’s Caribbean-American community. The main parade gets underway at 11 a.m. on September 7th along Eastern Parkway, continuing a nearly six-decade tradition that has grown into one of the largest annual celebrations of Caribbean culture in the United States. The annual carnival traditionally draws Caribbean nationals and descendants from across the diaspora for a massive display of masquerade, costumes, music, dancing, and Caribbean pride.
This year, with a Jamaican reggae legend and Trinidadian soca star sharing grand marshal honors, WIADCA is putting the “One Caribbean” message front and center.
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