Thousands Turn Out For Brooklyn’s Inaugural Jamaica Rising Day Parade 

News Americas, BROOKLYN, NY, Sat. Aug. 8, 2026: Jamaican pride took over the streets of Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday as thousands turned out for the inaugural Jamaica Rising Day Parade, which organizers say is not only New York City’s first Jamaica-dedicated parade, but the first of its kind anywhere in the United States.

The celebration came as Jamaica marks 64 years of independence from British colonial rule, just days after the island’s official Independence Day on August 6. The parade stepped off at 11 a.m. from Church and Ocean avenues in Flatbush, continuing north along Ocean Avenue to Lincoln Road near Empire Boulevard, under the theme “Jamaica Rising: One People. One Legacy. One Future.” Attendees were mostly kept behind steel barricades under the watchful eye of the NYPD.

Founder and Chairman Bill Tinglin told NPR’s “All Things Considered” the idea began after attending a different community’s celebration in Manhattan. “I went to the Israeli parade in Manhattan… and I asked myself: How come we don’t have a Jamaican Day parade and Jamaica has such a strong brand? Its food, its athletes, its culture, its music, just a very strong brand,” Tinglin said. “Yes, Jamaica is raising its flag, and here we are, the first of its kind in the United States, and let’s just enjoy the joy.”

DJ Danglez, a Brooklyn-born member of Federation Sound, served as the parade’s star DJ while Steelie Bashment and Richie Stephens were also in the house as the route filled with reggae, dancehall, soca and R&B, including Vybz Kartel’s “Brooklyn Anthem” and classics from Buju Banton. Reggae veteran Nadine Sutherland served as Grand Marshal, joined by Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, former US Ambassador to Jamaica, Nick Perry and New York School’s Chancellor, Jamaican Kamar Samuels.

“You see all the Jamaican flags out there. You see different cultures coming out to celebrate one culture,” Williams said.

“I had the privilege to attend the inaugural Jamaica Rising Day Parade in Brooklyn this morning,” stated Samuels on Instagram. “It was an honor to celebrate my heritage alongside students, educators, families, community members, elected officials, and visitors. The energy was incredible. As Chancellor, I believe it is critical that our young people develop a sense of self and identity rooted in cultural pride. That’s why I am expanding our efforts to foster culturally responsive instruction in our classrooms. When our students are celebrated for their histories and cultures, they will feel empowered for years to come. I am proud to be a Jamaican New Yorker – and to live and lead in a city with such rich diversity.”

The parade’s Brooklyn setting is no accident. An estimated 315,000 to 416,000 people of Jamaican descent live in New York, with the largest concentration in Brooklyn neighborhoods including Flatbush, Canarsie, and Crown Heights, alongside significant communities in southeast Queens and the Bronx.

Organizers, who worked closely with city officials and public safety agencies to manage what became a larger-than-expected crowd, say the parade is intended to become an annual tradition, timed each year to Jamaica’s “Emancipendence” season between Emancipation Day and Independence Day.