Parade of Flags
Every second Sunday in October, 5th Ave. turns into a colorful show of traditional costume and dance as Hispanics proudly display one or more parts of their culture. Some things you may not even see in their country but you will see it in NYC. That’s what makes parades in NYC better than any parades in any other city in the world. No where else will you see over 18 countries send representatives to march and show off the best of their culture. This one of my favorite parades to cover because of all the different customs and costumes. Although the same language is spoken in all these countries, the customs and traditions have their own identity. Much like your great grandmother had children and each took off to blaze their own trail, the parade started off with mother Spain and their display of flamenco dancers and the bagpipe band of Casa Galicia. They really got the crowd worked up for what was sure to be a fitting end to Hispanic Heritage Month. The 47th version of the Hispanic Day Parade included a competition among the participants for the coveted Cultural Appreciation Award.
Flamenco Dancers from Spain
Casa Galicia
Argentinian Dancers
As in previous parades, the groups appear in alphabetical order with Argentina kicking it off with some gauchos dancing and an incredible pair of tango dancers steaming things up on 5th Ave. The heat just kept on building when the dancers from Bolivia marched up with their colorful costumes. Bolivians have always had a large group as they have three main dances, the morenadas, the caporales, and the tinkus. The Chileans made their way up the parade route in cowboy costumes. Another larger group were the Colombians with their brilliant costumes and fast paced dancing that really got the crowd dancing salsa and cumbia with them. A van with a huge rack of speakers blasted some hot merengue so some Dominican diablos can dance and work the crowd. A float with some Ecuadorians kicked up the heat a notch with some sizzling boosters followed by some traditional dancing. A fired up marching band from El Salvador worked the crowd with their drumbeat. Last years award winner from Guatemala arrived with marchers dressed in official military attire. The Honduran group had a lively presentation with dancers and a marching band that could rival any band from NYC.
Bolivian dancers
Dominican beauty
Ecuadorians working the crowd
Keeping the torrid pace of dancing were the Mexican chinelos hopping up and down in their typical high energy style. This year’s award winner, Panama, had a large group arrive with the ladies in decorative polleras, strong marching bands from Panama and some spicy dancing. They deserved the prize. Paraguay arrived with the ladies balancing bottles on their heads. Another large group were from Peru with both traditional costume and dance. Towards the end of that section were a group of sizzling dancers that really worked it. Closing out the parade was the drum group from Uruguay with their hot and sexy dancers that got the crowd all worked up and wanting more. But all good things must come to an end and this year’s Hispanic Day Parade was filled with lots of color and pride for all of NYC to see and be a part of.
God Bless the Americas
NYC Parade Life 