Good Caribbean Vibes On The River Front In Poughkeepsie

Nile Clarke
Aug 4
2 min read

Updated: Aug 8

Beautiful bright fans and flags waving in the air as the Hudson Valley Caribbean Festival began on Saturday, Aug 2, 2025, at Waryas Park in Poughkeepsie, NY.

(Photo Caption: Two attendees show off their Saint Lucia Fans at the Hudson Valley Caribbean Festival on August 2, 2025 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Photo Credit: The Goodie Drop/Nile Clarke)

AYE!

Hundreds of people came out to celebrate culture and community at the Hudson Valley Caribbean Festival. About roughly 13 countries call the Caribbean home and many were represented at the festival including St Lucia, The Bahamas and of course Jamaica! The festival started at 12 noon and went into the evening with musical performances that represented a wide range of island music with a fusion of reggae, dancehall, soca from the different islands.

The food vendors did their part too! From start to finish they served up delicious meals that kept selling out and had to cook more of everything on the grill from Jerk Chicken to Rasta Pasta. The product vendors were local entrepreneurs selling goods like jewelry, clothes and hand crafted items.

(Photo Caption: Councilman Christopher Grant took a moment to recognize Delroy S. Graham, one of the original members of Empire Entertainment Group (EEG) that held the first Caribbean festival in 2003. Photo Credit: The Goodie Drop/Nile Clarke)

The very first Caribbean Parade and celebration took place in 2007 when Nancy Cozean was mayor. Cozean helped the than Empire Entertainment Group (EEG) organized the festivities. The current celebration was organized by former members of EEG now transformed into the Hudson Valley Caribbean Festival, which is a non-profit. The team also received help from Councilmen Christopher Grant of Ward 6, the city parks team from the City of Poughkeepsie and support from the current Mayor Yvonne Flowers.

“We are thankful for all the people that came out and supported it. It was such a great turn out that we plan to do it again next year. We will get the information out earlier too!

-Leroy Clarke (Original EEG Member)

(Photo Caption: More Photos from the Hudson Valley Caribbean Festival in Poughkeepsie, NY. Photo Caption: The Goodie Drop/Nile Clarke)

Stay Connected!

Stay connected and up-to-date for the next festival by following the HVCF Team on Instagram. Link: https://www.instagram.com/hudsonvalleycaribbeanfestival/