CRENSHAW — The annual L.A. Carnival on the Shaw will take place from 4 to 10 p.m. June 29 in the Crenshaw District of South Los Angeles.
Founded by Marie Kellier, CEO of Marikel International, in 1998 as Los Angeles Carnival, this annual, free event brings together a multigenerational mix of Caribbean immigrants and other ethnic groups. It is rooted in Caribbean arts, culture and traditions, capturing the essence of Caribbean heritage while integrating the hopes, values, and creative expressions of Los Angeles.
Its mission is to innovate Caribbean cultural practices and share the experience with a diverse cross-section of Los Angeles communities.
Returning for the third year, the carnival honors Juneteenth and celebrates Caribbean Heritage Month. It starts with an assembly line fiesta on Obama Boulevard, which will feature drummers, masqueraders, revelers, and DJs, a 100-drum parade, and a starlight spectacle designed to light up Crenshaw Boulevard.
A procession will begin at 6 p.m. along Obama Boulevard between Bronson Avenue on the east and Victoria Avenue on the west. It will then head south on Crenshaw, east on Vernon, and north on Leimert Boulevard, transforming the street into a kaleidoscope of colors, music and dance.
“We want to light up the streets,” said Kellier. “We will have lit riders, brightly lit bicycles, in the parade. We want the drums to be lit as well. We encourage people wearing costumes to have some light. When we enter the Leimert Park area, we want it to be spectacular with lights.”
The festivities will culminate in Liberation Plaza in Leimert Park, with a grand drum circle, infusing the evening with rhythm, and a call for peace and community healing.
Activities also include a masquerade roadshow featuring costumes, dancers and music trucks, a carnival, the L.A. Youth Parade featuring youth dance troupes, marching bands and performance groups and the starlight spectacular. There also will be food trucks.
Carnival masqueraders include Danza Azteca, a dance troupe showcasing Aztec movements; LA Success Steel Orchestra (steel pan music), Peace Players Youth Drummers, Ajudisgua, Ko’s Korean Drum and Dance, Samba N’ Motion and 100 Drums.
The 100 Drums for Peace and Healing was initiated as a tribute to the drum culture of Leimert Park and represents a way of setting a tone of healing, unity and respect for the community.
Kellier said the diverse ensemble of world-class drummers performing in the 100 Drums procession embodies the spirit of peace, love and healing, transforming the streets into a living celebration of multicultural collective resilience.
“LA Carnival on the Shaw is more than just a celebration,” said the Hopewell, Jamaica native. “It’s an economic development initiative designed to engage, activate and revitalize businesses on the Crenshaw [Corridor]. The diversity surrounding the event is intentional. Los Angeles Carnival has always been diverse; this year is no different.
“Cultural inclusivity brings joy and healing and makes our city great.”
Kellier said the initiative will encourage the community to collaborate in presenting an annual multicultural arts and cultural experience of artists of all kinds on Crenshaw from Obama Boulevard to Leimert Park.
The vision for LA Carnival on the Shaw, with the tagline “The Voice of a People, The Rhythm of A Region,” is to create a monthly arts, entertainment, and business experience that showcases the Crenshaw community’s creativity and diversity leading up to the LA28 Olympic Games and Cultural Olympiad.
At its root, Kellier said the carnival is part of the worldwide chain of Caribbean carnivals imported into global communities by Caribbean immigrants.
The mission of the carnival is to use the structure and excitement of a Caribbean-style family carnival to engage, activate, and revitalize the strip of Crenshaw Boulevard from the Expo Metro Station to Leimert Park, creating a vibrant economic corridor called ‘The Crenshaw Strip.’
“That’s our mission and our vision,” Kellier said. “I’ve been working in the Leimert Park area for quite a while, doing festivals and workshops. It bothered me to drive along and see so many stores shuttered or not thriving. I thought, ‘What can I do?’” That’s when we decided to bring LA Carnival to the community.”
Growing up in the Caribbean, Kellier remembers “The whole community getting involved.”
“I wanted to use that as a base to say what if we use that same structure,” she said. “Integrate the businesses along the way.”
\Kellier, who wants Leimert Park to become a global tourism destination, came up with the idea of calling the merchants’ businesses along Crenshaw Boulevard vibe spots, a pop-up immersive entertaining, creative and/or youth activation zone along the carnival route.
“Merchants can activate their space that day and encourage people to enter their businesses,” said Kellier, who received a grant from the California Arts Council for the event.
“The grants assist the merchants interested in participating,” Kellier said. “We don’t grant money to anyone, but we can provide supplies and posters. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish.”
Kellier is also proud of the Los Angeles Carnival on Tour, the traveling and educational arm of the organization that brings carnival experiences to schools and neighborhoods who might not otherwise experience the living art form. It represents imaginative workshops, theme-based performances and installations to businesses and corporate clients.
“I’ve always been someone organizing and bringing people together,” she said. “I would see a lot of events happening, but I didn’t see many of my people represented. There was not a lot of Caribbean stuff going on.
“This is Caribbean-based, but it’s not the focus,” she said. “We want it to be as multicultural as possible. This year’s gathering of participants will reflect a cross-section of traditions in costume, art, dance and music for the entire family to enjoy. Los Angeles is an incubator for international creativity and Los Angeles Carnival is a proud reflection of that legacy.”
LA Carnival was launched in 1998. From 1998 to 2018, the performance event gained a considerable following.
For a while, the festival was held at the Barnsdall Theatre in Hollywood. When the venue closed for retrofitting, it moved to Westchester, where it remained until 2017. Following the COVID hiatus, the carnival lreaunched in Leimert Park in 2023 and became LA Carnival on the Shaw.
“We had outgrown the community of Westchester and the space,” said Kellier, who calls it the longest-running Caribbean carnival in Southern California. “We wanted to do something more community-driven and suited for the Leimert Park community. Crenshaw is such an iconic boulevard. That’s how the name, ‘The Shaw’ came about.”
Kellier said the LA Carnival on the Shaw continues to be a community-focused event.
“It’s also a family-centered event,” she said. “We respect everyone’s culture and heritage. This event is peaceful and healing. We want people to be respectful. We want the event to be about life and joy. We want everyone to come out, have fun, and be with each other.”
Darlene Donloe is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers South Los Angeles. She can be reached at ddonloe@gmail.com.
