New Yorkers Gather to Celebrate the Columbus Day Parade

On a beautiful Monday morning, floats, flag-bearers and marching bands proceeded along Fifth Avenue in celebration of Columbus Day. The 67^th Columbus Day Parade started at 11:30 in the morning on October 10^th, traveling from 44^th Street to 72^nd Street in Manhattan. The event included more than 35,000 marchers and approximately 100 bands and floats, according to The Columbus Citizens Foundation, who organized the celebration. At the front of the parade were Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

            The Columbus Day Parade is the largest event in New York City celebrating those of Italian-American heritage.  Floats loaded with students from local schools such as La Scuola d’Italia Guglielmo Marconi filled the streets, while people on the sidelines waved Italian flags. The grand marshal of the event, Joseph Plumeri, believes that the parade pays tribute not only to Columbus himself, but to the immigrants who founded the nation.

“We would be nothing today without those people who came here with little more than the clothes on their back," he told the Columbus Citizens Foundation.


Arianna Holland, a tourist visiting from Toronto of Italian heritage, agrees, and says that she enjoyed the entire ambience of the event.

            “I’ve noticed that Italian-Americans are so patriotic, to both America and Italy. It makes me so excited just to be around all of this,” she said.

The La Scuola d'Italia Gugliemo Marconi float (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg).

            But for others, the excitement of the day transcended ethnic and cultural affiliations. Jorge Polanco, a New Yorker who is of Ecuadorian heritage, says he enjoyed seeing people come together to watch the parade, and wants to come back next year.

“What I enjoy most is the principle of this parade. It’s a celebration of the city’s multicultural makeup,” he said.

Indeed, the Columbus Day Parade celebrated more than the historical figure it’s named after. Police officers and firefighters joined in on the event , while people clapped and cheered for them on the sidelines. Entertainment included a performance by singer Pia Toscano, a former American Idol contestant. (You can watch the video here).

The event also successfully managed to capture the spirit of the city. Several floats blasted popular American music such as Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” while the end of the event featured several people, including Joseph Plumeri, singing Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.”

And true to the spirit of the city, the celebration brought large crowds. Waves of people were jammed up against the barricades, while police officers monitored the flow of traffic. Several people complained that they couldn’t see the performances. Josette Veguro, who came from Long Island with her daughter and husband to watch the parade, agreed.

“It’s a beautiful day and I’m enjoying myself, but I can’t see anything!,” she said while laughing. “I definitely want to come back next year, though.”

“But we’re coming a little bit earlier,” her husband added.