Soca music and the brightly colored costumes of Caribbean Carnival came back to the streets of Brooklyn Monday, with the 55th annual West Indian American Day Parade taking place in person after a pandemic-induced hiatus.

Throngs of people made their way to Eastern Parkway, where one of the world’s largest celebrations of Caribbean culture takes place, after two years of virtual events.

“I’m just happy for it to be back, I missed it for the past two years — just limiting online is not the same,” said one participant, Nia Andino.

Mayor Eric Adams said leading up to the parade his office led a joint effort with several city agencies including the NYPD, which had a large presence at both the J’Ouvert celebration earlier that morning and along the parade route to ensure that festival-goers could celebrate their traditions with ease.

“Historically, we did the parade and then said safety. We did it the opposite this year — safety first and then the parade,” Adams said.

Outbreaks of violence have occasionally marred both the early morning celebrations and main parade, with the one high-profile incident being the 2015 death of an aide to then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo from stray gunfire during the hours of J’Ouvert, which used to start even earlier and was more informal.

Since then, a formal start time for J’Ouvert was instituted, along with checkpoints for entry, as well as an increase in police presence on the day.

Just after 2 p.m., a 34-year-old man was stabbed by a 40-year-old man along the parade route, the NYPD said. The suspect was taken into custody.

Organizers said this year about 15 festival entries registered for the event, a smaller number than years’ past because of the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During this time, the mass bands had a big challenge in finding homes to create their mass camps,” said organizer Cecille Ford, with the West Indian American Day Carnival Association. “In addition, it was financially straining for them so it was difficult to even bring this carnival here today”

Revelers danced down the street to the beat of the music in their elaborate costumes depicting many characters and themes, some doing it all on stilts.

“It brings everybody together as one, no matter what culture you are, what race you are,” said Naquan Parkin Ross, one of the attendees. “We’re a peaceful people —we’re here to have fun in unity”

“On other islands they represent their island, but here on the parkway it’s every island in the Caribbean because everybody knows Brooklyn is the largest Caribbean Island,” said Rep. Stacey Plaskett, of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Smiling faces waving flags could be seen on just about every block. And if you got hungry, many vendors were on the scene to offer Caribbean delicacies.

Participants also said this celebration was about doing it for loved ones who are no longer with us.

“This sense of pride as someone who is from Belize, my mom used to come here and stand and my mom would stand at one of these trees and my mom would stay here from 12 until the parade is closed,” said Ethel Felix of Carribbean American Pride. “I do this for my mom.”