BOSTON -- A little bit of Rio or Trinidad can be found every summer at the Boston Carnival Parade.

NewsCenter 5's Pam Cross reported Thursday that one day each August for the last 30 years, the parade has exploded with music and motion. Participants work year-round to give the West Indian festival life.

Catina Hay has been in the West Indian Parade for years. The marching groups are called bands. They compete to see which one has the best look, sound and style.

"Each costume represents some different type of glass," Hay said.

That glass idea comes from designer Rudy Osborne, who is head of the D'Midas International.

"It's supposed to glitter and give you the effect of a stained glass in some cases," Osborne said.

It is meticulous work -- cutting, sewing, gluing. The bands usually work on their costumes in secret. The look is unveiled on Carnival Parade Day -- the last Saturday of August. Young people are a big factor.

"It's really hard to describe, so I have to out pictures and videos. It's fun," participant Solana Herron-Smith said.

Dynasty Productions was hard at work on a Trinidad village theme. This weekend is not its only event.

"I don't only do the Boston Carnival. I do First Night. I do the Dorchester Day Parade," said Cynthia Coker, of Dynasty Productions.

The carnival attracts thousands of visitors from out of town, but organizers worry the recent spike in crime may keep onlookers, and the money they bring, out of the neighborhood.

"We need longer routes. We need it to be safer. We need to keep it right here," carnival supporter Michael Smith said.

Carnival hits the streets of Roxbury and Dorchester on Saturday.