Event Overview: The NYC Easter Parade is a lavish, family-friendly event that spans the length of Fifth Avenue between 47th Street and 57th Street. Once a purely religious event, the Easter Day Parade is now regarded as a symbol of American culture and prosperity, known as much for its well-dressed and sometimes ostentatious participants as it is for its spirit of lighthearted fun. It is held every Easter Sunday, usually between 10am and 4pm.

What to Expect: While not nearly so popular as New York's St. Patrick's Day Parade, the Easter Day Parade is still crowded - attendees in a typical parade number well over 30,000.

• Hats and Finery: Fashion is becoming an increasingly significant part of the NYC Easter Parade - unsurprisingly, as the Easter Day Parade takes place on Fifth Avenue, the most expensive shopping street in the world. Participants often dress in new and fashionable clothing, donning elaborate hats and accessories, so as to impress others with their finery. In recent years, however, the parade has taken on some of the novelty of Halloween, with participants dressing in gaudy costumes meant to parody the extravagant outfits of times past.
• Mixed Crowd: Originally a purely religious event, the NYC Easter Parade now draws people of all religious beliefs, most of whom attend the parade to check out the latest fashions. For every person observing the religious holiday you're likely to find one satirizing its extravagances - some go so far as to don mesh, flower-adorned hats filled with live birds.

Inside Knowledge: Established in the late nineteenth century, the NYC Easter Parade was for many years a symbol of American culture and prosperity. In 1947 the parade drew close to one million people. Since then, it has declined somewhat in popularity, drawing only 30,000 in 2008. Once a purely religious celebration, the Easter Day Parade now draws people of varied beliefs; the parade itself has been, for the most part, secularized, as an increasing number of people attend the parade to see and be seen in (or parody) the latest fashions.

Event Hints:

• Don't Drive: Because street parking near the Easter Day Parade is extremely limited and garage parking expensive, we recommend leaving the car at home and taking the subway to where the parade route begins.
• Answer Nature's Call: Because portable restrooms are not available at the NYC Easter Parade, we recommend relieving yourself before attending the event.
• Bring the Kids: Children will enjoy the bustling activity of the Easter Parade NYC every bit as much as adults. This is a family-friendly event decidedly less boisterous than the St. Patrick's Day Parade.