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The streets of Manhattan resonated with the unmistakable energy of Haiti’s Carnival traditions when Plezi Rara took the stage at New York City’s 53rd annual Village Halloween Parade on Saturday, November 1. The Brooklyn-based ensemble, led by Maestro Peter, filled Sixth Avenue with the powerful percussion and horn-driven sounds of rara, the traditional Haitian street band music known for its raw intensity and minimalist approach to instrumentation. Giant costumed creatures danced alongside the procession as spectators lined the avenue from Spring Street to 15th Street, drawn into the rhythms that originated from Haiti’s Champs de Mars.
For Maestro Peter and his musicians, the journey to the parade began in Brooklyn near Parkside and Ocean avenues, where band members gathered before making their way via subway to Canal Street and then to the parade’s starting point in Greenwich Village. Peter, who grew up in Belair, Haiti’s capital, moved to Brooklyn at age 15 and discovered rara music through Djarara, a legacy rara band that performs regularly in Prospect Park. According to reporting from The Haitian Times, his approach to the band’s musical selections reflects a thoughtful philosophy: the musicians choose their repertoire based on the message they wish to convey and the specific context of their performance.
For the Halloween parade, Plezi Rara centered their performance around rabòday, a distinctive rhythm and musical style that carried throughout their route and continued as the band made their way back toward the subway. Maestro Peter explained that this intentional curation of music allows the band to communicate beyond mere entertainment. "When we go out and play, we play music," he said. "When we want to send a message, we only play one song; with that one song, we go around the city with it. We play what goes with the context."
The 2026 parade carried the theme "Body and Soul," celebrating human connection, movement, and physical presence in an increasingly digital world. Organizers estimated that two million people attended the annual celebration, providing Plezi Rara with a significant platform to share Haitian culture and musical traditions with a broad New York audience. Maestro Peter expressed hope that the band will return to perform at future parades, continuing to bridge Haitian and mainstream American cultural spaces through the visceral power of rara music.
Rara is a traditional Haitian street band music characterized by powerful drum rhythms, typically built around ferocious snare drum rolls, and minimalist instrumentation including horns. The music is deeply rooted in Haitian Carnival celebrations and community traditions. Plezi Rara represents a continuation of this legacy in the diaspora, with connections to other established rara ensembles like Djarara, which has maintained the tradition in New York City’s Prospect Park.
This story highlights how Haitian cultural traditions, particularly rara music and Carnival practices, continue to thrive and gain visibility within the Caribbean diaspora in New York City. The performance demonstrates the role of Brooklyn-based Haitian musicians in preserving and sharing their heritage with broader audiences, reinforcing cultural connections between Haiti and its diaspora communities while introducing authentic Haitian traditions to mainstream American cultural events.
Sources and attribution
- The Haitian Times
- Body and Soul: Village Halloween Parade brings spooktacular magic throughout the streets of Lower Manhattan
- Village Halloween Parade returns to NYC with "Body …
- PHOTOS: 53rd annual Village Halloween Parade
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