New York Greek Independence Day Parade Arts Festival / Festival / Parade Every year in April

The New York Greek Independence Day Parade has been held annually along Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue since 1951. The parade itself first took place in NYC in 1938.

The event celebrates Hellenic culture and marks the anniversary of Greek independence, which was declared March 25, 1821. The parade attracts some 150,000 spectators, with about 25,000 participants.

Pegged as “the largest parade in the Hellenic diaspora,” the New York Greek Independence Day Parade is organized by the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York. Founded in 1937, the group claims to be the largest and oldest cultural federation in the U.S.

With the goal of preserving and promoting Greek-American heritage, the FHSGNY also works towards philanthropic endeavors, having distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars for medical aid, scholarships, disaster relief, and other charitable causes in North America and Greece.

The New York Greek Independence Day Parade is free, and offers an afternoon of Hellenic culture for all ages.