BY TEQUILA MINSKY | There was oil, paint and powder, and there were lots of devils and steel drum bands, as revelers packed Empire Boulevard in Brooklyn at the crack of dawn on Monday for J’Ouvert.
The event’s name is from the French “jour ouvert,” meaning the start of the day. It occurs in the wee hours, starting at 6 a.m., before the actual West Indian Day Parade along Eastern Parkway.
After J’Ouvert, the revelers and musicians move on to the parade.
In past years, the opening event had been plagued by violence. But this time around, while one gun was recovered, police reported no major violence, according to Eyewitness News.
