Reading

Baltimore Washington One Carnival: Photo Essay

Previous Story
Article Image

Indulgence and Inhibition: Nicole Dyer’s Ta [...]

Next Story
Article Image

So Much Color: The 2019 Venice Biennale

Syncopated rhythms and chest-pounding bass echoed through Waverly and Clifton Park on Saturday, the first clue there was a party making its way down 33rd Street. Flatbed trucks carried stereos blasting Soca music. Masqueraders fluffed their feathers and put the finishing touches on their makeup. Revelers waved flags for Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados. And everyone—including stilt walkers—danced in the street. 

The parade kickstarted the Baltimore Washington One Carnival, a two-day event celebrating Caribbean pride and culture last weekend. Since it began 38 years ago as a backyard party, the live music and food festival has grown to now attract thousands each year. It’s now co-organized by the Caribbean American Carnival Association of Baltimore (CACAB) and the DC Caribbean Carnival Committee, who joined forces in 2012. 

“Carnival/Caribbean Festival is very dear to me because as a young girl I participated in the same activities in my country of Antigua and Barbuda,” says Elaine Simon, president of CACAB. 

She moved to the US in the late ‘60s—first to New York, then Baltimore—and in each city, attended Carnival to feel connected to her home and her community. She sees the festival in Baltimore as a cultural exchange, and a way to “preserve the customs, the legacy of the Caribbean art form of Carnival.” 

María Sánchez, who took the beautiful photographs below, and I walked through the parade on Saturday to absorb the art, beauty and sensory overload. The crowd’s palpable joy and the blast of colorful costumes felt so refreshing I wanted to drink it all up. Tall feathers waved like palm leaves, and shimmering gemstones sparkled in the sweaty July sun. 

The vibrant palettes, feathered headpieces, and music floating in every direction reminded me of the innumerable ways that people of Caribbean descent have helped build and shape the US from New Orleans to New York. Through their most famous exports—Rihanna, Grace Jones, and Stokely Carmichael come to mind—and communities on the ground, Caribbean culture has baked its music, art, cooking, and politics firmly into this country. (Nora Belblidia)

Photo Essay by María Sánchez

Related Stories
The Creative Alliance Celebrates 30 Years at their Annual Gala Event

Creative Alliance Honors Linda de Palma and JM Giordano for Lifetime Achievement

Jill Fannon's Photo Essay captures the magic of BSA Expressions

Baltimore School for the Arts Celebrates 45 Years with Expressions ‘25: Students, Performances, and Guests

The Founder of TRIBE, School of Embodied Arts

"Move your body, engage in breathwork, and immerse yourself in the transformative power of cold water."

How Community, Family, and Friends Have Informed Her Lifelong Dedication to Wellness

I’ve always loved my work. I’m passionate about it because of my experiences growing up as an immigrant, as someone who saw many people go without access to care, as someone who experienced some of those problems myself, and as a clinician on behalf of my patients.