New York City’s Columbus Day Parade is returning to the Big Apple today.
The massive parade, which celebrates Italian-American culture, will march along many main roads in New York City.
In addition to today’s celebration, Brooklyn’s Columbus Day Parade happened over the weekend. The parade has been a tradition in the borough for over 40 years.
Columbus Day is a celebration of Christopher Columbus, who was born in Italy and known to have discovered what’s considered “the New World,” modern-day North and South America.
Hundreds of thousands of people will line 5th Avenue in NYC for the 80th annual Columbus Day Parade. Here's what you need to know about the event. https://t.co/nEzyVKZSkz
— FOX 5 NY (@fox5ny) October 14, 2024
“It’s a celebration of the contributions of who we are. All of us. And every one of us should celebrate,” said Jack Spatola, chairman of the Federation of Italian American Organizations of Brooklyn and executive chairman of the parade.
The Brooklyn parade has grown to represent more than Italian culture, including “Asian Americans … Arabic, Irish, all different backgrounds. It’s great,” Spatola said.
The federal holiday has faced controversy over woke claims that Columbus exploited and abused the American Indian people, so many blue states have changed the name to Indigenous Peoples Day.
In addition to Columbus Day, New York City also commemorates Indigenous Peoples Day with a party celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Urban Indigenous Collective, an indigenous-led nonprofit health organization.