The 59th West Indian Caribbean Celebration was held in the City of Hartford on Saturday afternoon. Hundreds of people from around the state and even people from other states came out to celebrate and take part in the festival.
The celebration was held days after the City of Hartford issued a mask mandate when indoors regardless of vaccination status. New Haven was the first city to issue a mask mandate on Monday.
The mask mandate comes after several counties were deemed high transmission areas by the Center for Disease Control and Governor Lamont granted permission for cities and towns to issue their own mask mandates.
One of the benefits about having the celebration at Bushnell Park is the ample amount of space and the celebration taking place outdoors.
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Despite the hot weather, many people tried to cool off in the shade and made sure to pack extra bottles of water.
Music, food trucks, vendors and performances were some of the activities the celebration had to offer on Saturday afternoon.
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"We just decided to get out of New York and come to Connecticut, just something different and try to enjoy the summer," said Ricardo Chambers, who made the trip up from Queens, New York. "As a Jamaican, it's great to see certain aspects of my culture here along with other West Indian cultures."
Mayor Luke Bronin also made the trip out to the festival, encouraging people to get vaccinated and enjoy the celebration.
"It's great to have so many people here and we're glad to have a very strong West Indian population in the City of Hartford so it's great to be here and celebrate with the community," said Mayor Bronin.
"When you're outside, do what's comfortable for you when it comes to wearing a mask. Keep an eye on other people's comfort, too, and respect other peoples choices and when you're inside you got to wear that mask," Bronin said.
In Hartford, those 2 years old and older will need a mask indoors regardless of their vaccination status. If you fail to comply you can expect to pay a $100 fine.
