New York City will end Monday’s West Indian Day Parade promptly on Labor Day Monday afternoon — a cutoff officials say is aimed at preventing the late-day gun violence that marred last year’s celebration.

The measure is part of a broader security plan that will put thousands of NYPD officers and hundreds of community violence-prevention staffers and volunteers along the parade route and surrounding Brooklyn neighborhoods, city officials said Friday.

Many of the NYPD’s security measures, including drones, counterterrorism teams and controlled entry points for J’Ouvert, were also used last year.

But Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a Friday press briefing that the department will deploy more officers this year, test different barrier configurations and make changes to its use of drones, while the city is also expanding the footprint of its community violence-prevention teams.

The 5:30 p.m. end time on Sept. 7 is half an hour earlier than the 6 p.m. finish scheduled for the parade in recent years. Tisch said this year’s cutoff was chosen deliberately because of when violence broke out during last year’s festivities.

“Last year, we saw three separate shooting incidents on or near the parade routes at approximately 5:35, 6:15 and 6:30 p.m., resulting in six people being shot,” Tisch said. “The NYPD was forced to shut down last year’s celebration as a result of this violence.”

“I want to be very clear: this year, there will be zero tolerance for violence of any kind,” Tisch said.

Preparing for J’Ouvert and the West Indian Day Parade

The West Indian Day Parade, the centerpiece of the city’s annual Labor Day celebration of Caribbean culture, will begin at 11 a.m. Monday on Eastern Parkway. 

Officials said there are no known specific or credible threats against either the parade or J’Ouvert, the pre-dawn celebration that precedes it.

The two events will have different security setups.

J’Ouvert, which traditionally marks the beginning of the West Indian American Day Carnival festivities, will take place Monday morning before the main parade. Spectator access opens at 2 a.m., with the event running from 6 to 11 a.m. along Empire Boulevard from Flatbush Avenue to Nostrand Avenue, then south on Nostrand Avenue to Rutland Road.

Unlike the main parade, J’Ouvert will have controlled access. Spectators will enter through 13 checkpoints and be screened by NYPD personnel using magnetometers. Weapons, alcohol, coolers, backpacks, large bags, umbrellas, blankets, chairs, bicycles, scooters and skateboards are among the items prohibited inside the secured viewing areas.

Last year’s J’Ouvert unfolded without reports of any major incidents before festivities transitioned into the West Indian American Day Parade later in the morning.

Spectators at the West Indian Day Parade will not be subjected to the same controlled-entry screening, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, though police will maintain an increased presence along and around Eastern Parkway.

Thousands of officers will be deployed from Sunday night through Monday.  The department will also deploy its Emergency Service Unit, aviation and mounted officers, K-9 teams, counterterrorism personnel, field intelligence officers and the bomb squad. NYPD drones will provide officers with real-time views of crowds, while a counter-drone team will respond to unauthorized drone activity.

The Mamdani administration is also expanding its use of community-based violence prevention groups around the celebrations.

Since July, the city’s Office of Community Safety has worked with Crisis Management System organizations on a five-day operation spanning five police precincts and 20 zones — seven more zones than last year, Mayor Mamdani said.

Eight teams made up of 337 Crisis Management System staff members and community safety volunteers began deploying Thursday at locations along the parade route and in nearby neighborhoods. On Monday, the teams are expected to conduct outreach, mediate conflicts, respond to crises and intervene in disputes before they escalate. Mobile trauma units will also be deployed in areas where large crowds gather and disperse.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams acknowledged there had been some “tense moments” during planning discussions between police, organizers and elected officials over how to balance security with the cultural character of the celebration.

Williams said parade organizers welcomed additional law enforcement while also pushing for a larger role for the Office of Community Safety and Crisis Management System groups.

“I think everybody came with their tools, and we figured out what is the best plan to go forward,” Williams said.

He said particular attention was paid to keeping the parade on schedule, including making sure it ends on time.

Street closures for J’Ouvert begin at 11:30 p.m. Sunday and will remain in effect until 11 a.m. Monday, affecting portions of Flatbush Avenue, Empire Boulevard and Nostrand Avenue.

For the West Indian Day Parade, closures around the formation area begin at 6 a.m. Monday. Additional closures take effect at 8 a.m., and at about 10:30 a.m. Eastern Parkway will be fully closed from Utica Avenue to Grand Army Plaza, along with northbound and southbound streets feeding into the parkway.