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. “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? “I had the privilege to attend the inaugural Jamaica Rising Day Parade in Brooklyn this morning,” stated Samuels on Instagram.