How Columbus Day works in New York City?
This year, 2023, Columbus Day will be celebrated on October 9th . This is a holiday honoring Christopher Columbus, the man who discovered America. To mark the occasion, a parade is organized on Fifth Avenue in New York. It is New York's largest parade with 35,000 participants.
For history fans
Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was an Italian explorer and sailor. Recently looking for a shorter route to get to the East Indies more quickly. Ferdinand the Catholic (Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabelle of Castile) trusted him and his project and financed it. Columbus left Spain to make his first voyage to the West. On October 12, 1492 , Christopher Columbus saw America for the first time. When he set foot on American soil, he believed he had discovered India and therefore called the locals Indians .
In 1792, 300 years after his discovery, the first ceremony honoring Christopher Columbus was celebrated. On October 12, 1866, the Italian population held a festival in honor of their hero in New York, Columbus Day was born. A statue of Christopher Columbus was subsequently erected on Columbus Avenue in 1892.
Columbus Day and everything related to Christopher Columbus is controversial today due to gruesome murders and one of the largest genocides in human history. The indigenous people of North America (condescendingly called Indians) have been almost wiped out from the North American continent or now live in reservations. European settlers killed 56 million indigenous people in South, Central and North America over the course of about 100 years. Therefore, this day is also called Indigenous Peoples' Day celebrated.
When does Columbus Day take place?
Columbus Day is celebrated annually on the second Monday in October, the day Christopher Columbus first set foot on American soil . As already mentioned this year, the festival will take place on Monday, October 9th, 2023.
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How is this festival celebrated in New York?
Columbus Day is a huge parade called "The Columbus Day Parade" in which over 35,000 people take part. Included in the program: music, floats, ships and marines. Every year the parade attracts over a million people to the streets, plus millions of viewers on television screens.
Where does the parade take place and at what time?
The parade begins at 11:30 a.m. at Fifth Avenue and 44th Street and extends to the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 72nd Street. The festival ends at 3:00 p.m.
What can you do on Columbus Day?
Columbus Day is a national holiday, which means schools and government offices are closed. After the parade ends, there will be plenty of people on Fifth Avenue. If you want to celebrate, why not with cannoli and gelato in Little Italy where many of the participants gather.
Are shops open on this day?
Most stores have normal opening hours and there are Columbus Day discounts. Outlets are also open as normal on this day, e.g. Woodbury .
Five days in New York - plan with map and tips
5 days in New York City is a bare minimum to get a good idea of Manhattan and see some of the other boroughs. Of course, there's a lot more you can do - nine years in the city and I'm still discovering new sides to New York.