Local nonprofit Seasoned Gives will host its third annual Caribbean Carnival at the Veterans Memorial Field Canteen in Saugerties on August 13.
Inspired by the traditional carnival celebrations of the West Indies, the festival is held to mark the “Crop Over” season, when the harvest is over. Caribbean carnivals have several common themes, each originating from the carnivals of Trinidad and Tobago, also known as the “Mother of Carnivals”. The carnival tradition encompasses a number of disciplines including the Parade of Bands; calypso, steel, and soca music; crowning a Calypso Monarch AKA Calypso King; and other traditions.
“Seasoned Gives is a 501(c)(3) organization located in the vibrant and rapidly transforming city of Kingston, New York, and serves all of Ulster County,” states the Seasoned Gives website. “Our mission is simple yet revolutionary: educating, incubating and promoting entrepreneurship for the BIPOC community and women, creating sustainable solutions to poverty, hunger and social injustice through education, ownership and self-sufficiency.”
The free event will feature a parade starting at 11 a.m. and a carnival costume contest with a $1,000 grand prize and will run until 7 p.m. music and cultural events. There will also be food vendors of authentic Caribbean food, live music, performers, a DJ, face painting, arts and crafts vendors and games.
For further details, see the Seasoned Gives website.
