NYC's 2026 Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival held Sunday. Here's what to know.
New York City's annual Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival was held in Midtown Manhattan on Sunday.
Every year, participants get decked out in their finest Easter Sunday attire, including elaborate headgear, and gather along Fifth Avenue. According to the city, the tradition dates all the way back to the 1870s.
Click here to see photos from this year's parade so far.
Celebrating "the quirky, wonderful nature of New Yorkers"
The spegg-tacle was back, and went beyond bunnies and bonnets, shifting to balloon carrot cake and "K-Peep" Demond Hunters.
"I think it's nice to have some joy and be able to be creative and we wanted to see everyone else being creative in what they came up with," said Anna Aksman of the Flatiron District.
Aksman and her son, Ari, were newcomers to the city's Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival outside of St. Patrick's Cathedral, when a portion of Fifth Avenue was closed off and creativity flowed in.
"There's nothing like the quirky, wonderful nature of New Yorkers," artist James Haggerty said.
Leaning into it all was Haggerty and his daughter, Zoe, with realistic papier-mâché hats. They are fixtures every year at the more-than-150-year-old parade parade, hoping to bring smiles.
Unfortunately, April showers ended things early, but most were prepared for it, including Jane Jubilee of South Orange, New Jersey.
"It's always a sunny day on Easter, regardless of what's coming out of the sky," Jubilee said.
The parade and festival is New York's very own way of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
"We need to resurrect kindness, and Easter is the perfect day to celebrate," said Jamie Leo of the Upper West Side.
When and where is the 2026 NYC Easter Parade?
The Easter parade stepped off on Fifth Avenue at 49th Street around 10 a.m. and marched north to 57th Street. The festivities were shceduled to last until about 4 p.m.
Anyone was welcome to join, but if you wanted to remain a spectator, the best place to take it all in was from the area around St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st streets.
Easter street closures in NYC
The New York City Department of Transportation has announced the following street closures for Sunday:
- Fifth Avenue between 47th Street and 52nd Street
- East 50th Street between Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue
- East 51st Street between Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue
The closures are at the discretion of the NYPD, so there is no set time for when streets will reopen to traffic.
Easter forecast in NYC area
If you're heading out to the parade, you may want to make sure your bonnet is waterproof.
Mostly cloudy skies will be in place when the parade kicks off, but there is a slim chance of showers at that time.
For most of the parade, from around 11 a.m. through about 5 p.m., rounds of light-to-moderate showers will move through. An isolated rumble of thunder is possible, as well.
Highs will top out in the low to mid 60s around noon, followed by cooler readings in the 50s for the late afternoon.
NYC Easter Bonnet Festival photos
Need some inspiration for your Easter parade outfit? Check out a photo gallery from last year's celebrations below.
