For 2008 there's been plenty of public print and you can expect about 18 steel orchestras and 14 masquerade bands to be part of the procession. No amplified music is allowed for this procession which encourages crowd participation.

The J'Ouvert Parade that takes place pre-dawn on Labor Day morning and is best found by bringing your body to Grand Army Plaza at Flatbush Ave. and Eastern Parkway well before 4am.

The Brooklyn J'Ouvert has come into its own as a major event and rather amazing big city phenomenon as it welcomes Labor Day and the Grand Parade of the WIADCA Brooklyn Carnival. Like most of the Caribbean Carnival traditions gloriously on display during Carnival week, it was a tradition began in 1937 as part of the Trinidad Carnival.  Folklorist Stephen Stuempfle has called the J'Ouvert  an "underworld dimension of Carnival" with "grim and sinister characters, dirty and coarse costumes, and aggressive verbal and physical action"

 Over the past decade Brooklyn's J'Ouvert has grown from small groups of Dimanche Gras (Fat Sunday) revelers to a massive predawn celebration attracting nearly 100,000 steelband and old mas enthusiasts.

The predawn celebration begins around 4am although activity begins after the Dimache Gras show concludes at the Brooklyn Museum about 2am. The best place to hook up with friends is at the Grand Army Plaza by the Library. The parade begins here and travels through Flatbush to Empire Blvd, and ends on Nostrand Avenue and Linden Blvd.

1. Dress to Impress or Mess? While J'Ouvert is a casual event, if you want to mix in you well and be a participant you should put some effort into what you wear but prepare for it to get messed up. Expect it to be smeared with paint that may not be water soluble. Powder and mud are also distinct possibilities so don't wear cloths you do not mind getting messy. Better still hook in with a steel band or Jouvay Carnival group.  J'Ouvert costumes are inexpensive and are often creations that mock political issues, celebrities, and prominent events. It's OK for you and your friends to make your own and come along too.
2. Wear comfortable shoes. The route for J'Ouvert is long and public transportation is not too accommodating. After this over people return home on foot. If you plan to go to the parkway in the morning, the last thing you want is sore feet.
3. Join In! In keeping with tradition, steel drums are the only forms of music that will be played. Many steel bands have an 'engine room' with percussion instruments made form everyday items that can maintain the rhythm for tunes played by the steel drummers. It is the practice for revelers to complement this rhythm section with their own percussion even it is only  a bottle and spoon. No amplified music is allowed and there is a large NYPD presence.
4. Dance and the world will dance with you. its Carnival Day