By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Where
- Fifth Avenue at St Patrick’s Cathedral
- Tickets
- Free
- Time of year
- March or April
- Dates
- Set by the moon and the spring equinox, so they move by weeks each year
Easter Sunday, which falls on 28 March in 2027. There is no organiser’s programme: people walk north on Fifth Avenue from 49th to 57th Street from about 10am to 4pm, and police close stretches of the avenue and the side streets by St Patrick’s Cathedral through the day.
New York’s Easter Parade is not a parade in the usual sense. There are no floats, no bands and no grandstands: on Easter Sunday, Fifth Avenue around St Patrick’s Cathedral is closed to cars and people walk up and down it in hats they have spent weeks making, from a few silk flowers to whole miniature cityscapes. It runs from mid-morning to late afternoon, it costs nothing, and anyone can join. Go in the late morning or early afternoon, when the most elaborate bonnets are out and the crowd outside the cathedral is at its thickest.
What Easter Parade actually is
The custom goes back to the 1870s, when the congregations of the Fifth Avenue churches, St Patrick’s among them, walked the avenue after the Easter service in their new spring clothes. It became a fashion show for the city’s rich and then a spectacle for everyone else, and an Irving Berlin song, sung on film by Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, fixed it in the popular imagination.
What survives is a costume party without rules. Bonnets run from a sprig of blossom to constructions taller than the people under them, and dogs and children come dressed as well. Nobody judges and nothing is awarded; people stop, pose for each other’s cameras and move on.
Where to watch Easter Parade
- Outside St Patrick’s Cathedral, between 50th and 51st Streets. This is the centre of it, and the pavement in front of the steps is where the most elaborate hats stop to be photographed.
- Further north, towards 57th Street. The crowd thins above the cathedral, which makes it easier to walk along with the parade rather than stand and watch it.
- In the parade itself. There is nothing to register for: put on a hat and walk.
Tickets and what it costs
It costs nothing and there is nothing to book. If you want to go to an Easter service at St Patrick’s Cathedral first, check its schedule well ahead, because the Easter masses draw long queues.
Official information and booking: www.nyctourism.com/events/easter-parade-and-easter-bonnet-festival1
Getting there
Take the subway. The nearest stations are 5 Av/53 St on the E and M, 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Center on the B, D, F and M, and 5 Av/59 St on the N, R and W, each a few minutes’ walk from the route.
Do not plan to drive or take a taxi to the door. Police close stretches of Fifth Avenue and the side streets by the cathedral through the day, and Midtown traffic backs up around them.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Expecting floats and marching bands
There are none. The parade is people walking in hats, so come for the bonnets and the street rather than a show passing a fixed spot.
Arriving at four
By late afternoon the best-dressed have gone home. Aim for the late morning or the early afternoon.
Dressing for the photographs, not the weather
Easter can fall in a raw, wet March or a warm April, and the parade happens either way. Check the forecast and dress for standing outside.
Photographing without asking
Most people in elaborate bonnets are delighted to pose, but ask first, especially where children are involved.
Getting the date wrong
Easter moves every year, anywhere from late March to late April, and the parade moves with it. This edition’s date heads the page.
Other New York City events
Frequently asked questions
When is the Easter Parade in New York?
On Easter Sunday, from about 10am to 4pm. Easter moves each year between late March and late April, and this edition’s date heads the page.
Where is the NYC Easter Parade?
On Fifth Avenue between 49th and 57th Streets, centred on St Patrick’s Cathedral at 50th Street.
Is the Easter Parade free?
Yes. There are no tickets, no seats and no registration.
Can I walk in the Easter Parade?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no costume rule; put on a hat and walk up Fifth Avenue with everyone else.
Are there floats in the NYC Easter Parade?
No. It is an informal procession on foot, with no floats, bands or grandstands.
Sources
- NYC Tourism + Conventions, Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival
- Time Out New York, the route, times and closures
- PIX11, location, timing and street closures
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2028. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.