The Easter Parade
Hats Off to a Beloved NYC Tradition
The joyous tradition of holding an annual Easter Parade on New York’s Fifth Avenue began in the 1870s in the aftermath of something not so joyous, the American Civil War (1861-1865)1 as a means of bringing people together.
From its start, New York’s Easter parade was more rooted in the secular than the sacred. Donning one’s “Sunday best” and taking a “Sunday stroll” — swanning about Fifth Avenue and other tony Manhattan thoroughfares and public parks while dressed to the nines — was a time honored tradition among New Yorkers regardless of faith. (Pre-labor reform, Sunday, the Christian Sabbath, was everyone’s only day off).
Photo: Crowd on 5th Avenue, Easter Sunday]. Ca. 1905. Museum of the City of New York.
According to the City Museum of New York, the city’s first Easter parade was an extension of this weekly “fashion promenade,” and the Easter bonnet was the crowning glory of every woman and girl’s ensemble. Hats festooned with silk flowers, ostrich feathers, and even taxidermy birds (!!!) were the height of fashion (literally!).2
While taxidermied fowl as accessories are (thankfully) all in the past, over-the-top headwear retains its popular appeal.
Photograph: Sean Shapiro/ Time Out NY
Set in 1912, the 1948 musical film, “Easter Parade” starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, speaks to the role that the parade still played in the lives of mid-twentieth century New Yorkers.
While other U.S. cities also hold Easter parades, New York’s remains the largest and best known. In 1947, at its pinnacle, it is estimated to have drawn as many as one million.3 Today’s event draws around 30,000 people.
Today, the tradition continues in New York as the “Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival.” Held on Easter Sunday, the event goes from 10am to 4pm Easter Sunday and proceeds north on Fifth Avenue from 49th Street to 57th Street. Anyone can join in — the only requirement is a festive hat!
To all those who celebrate, Hoppy Easter! Chag Sameach!
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https://www.mcny.org/story/easter-parade
https://www.mcny.org/story/easter-parade
Barnett, James H. (February 1949). "The Easter Festival—A Study in Cultural Change". American Sociological Review. American Sociological Association. 14 (1): 62–70.
Thank you for a wonderful history of the Easter Parade.
The hats seem to rival those of the Kentucky Derby.
What a great story! My Mom was in an Easter parade, and she and her fancy hat were featured in a newspaper article! Thanks for bringing back that memory.