The 75th Annual Columbus Day Parade took place on the 14th of October provided an authentic parade experience and allow the new and older generations to celebrate American heritage and all the different communities that make up this beautifully diverse country. It is estimated that over 1 million turned out to see the parade live, with millions more tuning in to watch the parade live on their television screens across the whole country. In this article, we will help you guys uncover the history behind this event and why it is rightfully so important among the many communities in the United States.
Who Was Columbus and What Is This Event Celebrating?
Columbus also known as Christopher Columbus was a famous Italian explorer who funded by the Spain managed to successfully discover the Americas (South America and North America) which was the stepping stone for the Europeans beginning to colonize the rest of the world. Furthermore, the word ‘America’ after another Italian explorer called Amerigo Vespucci, who helped Columbus get his initial financial support from the Spanish monarchy due to his belief that there must be another massive landmass somewhere out there.
It is without doubt that without Columbus discovering the Americas, the United States may not be what it is today or even exist; therefore Columbus is viewed by not just the United States but many other countries such as Brazil, Mexico and Argentina as one of the founders of their modern day countries.
Columbus Day takes place around the 12th of October which is when Columbus is thought to have made his initial landing in the Americas in the Bahamas. This is why the 75th Annual Columbus Day Parade in Manhattan took place on the 14th of October.
Groups and Communities, That Attended and Took Part In This Event.
This New York based event is very popular with the big Italian community in the city with Columbus being scene as someone they identify with as he originates from Genoa, Italy.
Other groups that attended the event included:
- Spanish communities; apart from a heavy presence from local with Italian heritage, you could also see tens of thousands of people bearing Spanish flags and also a dedicated Spanish parade float with people dressed in traditional Spanish clothing.
- Police; not just nationalities took part in this event, there was also find groups of police on motorcycles in various formations riding down the street with various flags attached to their bikes.
- African-Americans; many floats were also dedicated to the African communities in the city with many of them waving Nigeria, South African and Ethiopian flags.
- Local Schools and Universities; there was also a lot of schools and universities taking part from little children to college students with some of the school’s marching bands and cheerleading teams taking part. There was scout groups taking part in this event dressed in their ceremonial uniforms.
- United States themed; finally a big portion of the people who got involved were waving the United States flag and a lot of the parade floats were United States themed. On the floats themselves, some of the participants were dressed in historic and iconic American clothing, such as the pilgrims and first European settlers that came to New England in the 17th century.
Where This Event Took Place and Other Attractions Nearby.
This event took place on the main Madison Avenue road in Manhattan with traffic being shut on that road for the majority of the 14th of October. Officially, the parade started at 11:30 am Eastern time and finished two hours later.
After you were done watching the estimated 130 marching groups, vehicle formations and parade floats going through center of Manhattan, you also had the opportunity to visit the many restaurants, bars and other attractions that we have included further details about below.
- Museum of the City of New York; in this famous museum you are able to view Native American artifacts as well as see how New York transformed from a couple of migrant towns in the 19th century to one of the largest and most modern cities in the entire world.
- Manhattan Park; running right next to the main road where the parade took place, visitors had the opportunity to go for a walk in one of New York’s biggest and most pleasant parks that contains other attractions such as the Alice In Wonderland themed park that is popular with tourists looking for that good picture in New York.
- Duke Ellington Statue; apart from that you could also visit the Duke Ellington Statue which is a monument for the famous African-American music composer and dancer whose work is known worldwide and is credited for founding the jazz music genre.
