What you need to know about the 2023 Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival in NYC
Photo courtesy of Phil Roeder on Flickr
A procession of marchers wearing vibrantly over-the-top bonnets will take over Fifth Avenue on Sunday. Hosted by the Fifth Avenue Association, New York City’s annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival takes place on April 9 between East 49th to East 57th Street. New Yorkers are invited to watch as revelers march up Fifth Avenue while showing off their most intricate bonnets and outfits. Here is everything you need to know about one of NYC’s age-old traditions, the Easter Parade.
 Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in 1906. Image via WikiCommons
The parade’s history
The Easter Parade has been a beloved event by New Yorkers since the 1870s when Gothic churches like Trinity Church and St. Patrick’s Cathedral would decorate their sanctuaries with beautiful arrays of flowers in celebration of the holiday. To match the beautiful floral decor of the churches, wealthy women would dress up in elaborate dresses and hats for Easter mass.
By the 1880s, the floral outfits became such a spectacle that New Yorkers would gather to watch as wealthy Christians traveled from church to church visiting different sanctuaries. In 1890, the event became officially known as the Easter Parade.
By the turn of the 20th century, the Easter Parade was as large on the retail scene as Christmas. As 6sqft previously reported: “In 1933, famed songwriter Irving Berlin wrote music for a Broadway show called “As Thousands Cheer” which included the song “Easter Parade,” which was turned into a film starring Fred Astaire and Judy Garland.”
Photo courtesy of Phil Roeder on Flickr
Photo courtesy of Phil Roeder on Flickr
Where to watch the procession
The parade kicks off at roughly 10 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m., moving north up Fifth Avenue from 49th Street to 57th Street. A favorite spot to catch the parade is in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets.
If you want to march in the parade yourself, all you need is to come wearing a bonnet. Admission is free.
Street closures
The following streets will be closed on Sunday, April 9, 2023, according to the NYPD:
- 5th Avenue between 47th Street and 52nd Street
- East 50th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- East 51st Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
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