Caribbean music icons Kees Dieffenthaller of KesTheBand and Jamaican reggae and dancehall star Buju Banton have been selected as honorary grand marshals for the 59th Annual New York Caribbean Carnival Week and Parade, bringing together two influential voices from the region’s musical traditions.
The announcement was made by the West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA), which said the appointments reflect this year’s theme, “One Caribbean.” The theme highlights the cultural ties shared by Caribbean communities across national borders and generations and the role of music in connecting the region’s diaspora.
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The parade will take place on Labour Day, Monday, September 7, 2026, along Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, beginning at 11 a.m. The annual celebration is one of New York’s largest showcases of Caribbean culture, featuring music, costumes, food, dancing and traditions from across the region.
Dieffenthaller, better known as Kes, is the lead vocalist of Trinidad and Tobago’s KesTheBand and has become one of the most recognisable figures in contemporary soca. Through his music and performances, he has helped introduce Trinidadian soca and Carnival culture to audiences well beyond the Caribbean while maintaining strong connections to the traditions from which the music emerged.
Buju Banton, meanwhile, represents Jamaica’s influential reggae and dancehall tradition. With a career spanning several decades, the Grammy-winning performer has become one of the Caribbean’s most recognisable musical ambassadors, carrying Jamaican music and cultural expression to audiences around the world.
Their joint selection is particularly fitting for this year’s “One Caribbean” theme, as the artists represent different musical traditions that have nevertheless become central to the region’s global cultural identity. WIADCA said Kes and Buju demonstrate how reggae, dancehall, soca and other Caribbean sounds can transcend national boundaries while remaining rooted in their respective cultures.
“The appointment of Kees Dieffenthaller of KesTheBand and Buju Banton as Honorary Grand Marshals is a powerful representation of what One Caribbean means to us,” the WIADCA Board of Directors said, noting that both artists have taken Caribbean music and culture to international audiences while remaining connected to their communities and traditions.
The two honourees will also be recognised at WIADCA’s 59th Annual VIP Breakfast, which will take place on September 7 at the Carlos Lezama Netball Court at Lincoln Terrace Park ahead of the parade. The breakfast traditionally brings together elected officials, community leaders, business representatives, cultural figures and supporters of New York’s Caribbean-American community.
For nearly six decades, WIADCA has used the New York Caribbean Carnival to preserve and promote the region’s music, culture, art and traditions in one of the world’s largest Caribbean diaspora communities. The event has become an important annual gathering for Caribbean nationals and their descendants, while also introducing Caribbean heritage to the wider New York population.
The decision to honour Kes and Buju also reflects the growing international reach of Caribbean music. Trinidad and Tobago’s soca and Jamaica’s reggae and dancehall have developed into global cultural exports, influencing artists and audiences far beyond the islands where the genres originated.
With two of the region’s most prominent contemporary performers leading this year’s celebration, the 2026 carnival is expected to place a strong emphasis on the shared cultural identity represented by the “One Caribbean” theme.
