J’ouvert means “dawn” or “daybreak”. It’s a large street party held during Carnival throughout many Caribbean cultures. Traditionally, the celebration involves calypso/soca bands and their followers dancing through the streets. The festival usually starts well before dawn and peaks a few hours after sunrise. In 2017, in an attempt to curb violence, NYC moved the start time of J’Ouvert to 6am. This is a recording of the first hour of NYC’s J’Ouvert. 

Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash