Articles | Webography | Know Your Rights: A Guide for Subway Musicians & Other Street Performers
CELEBRATIONS • September |
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Brazilian Street Festival The beat of the samba takes over 46th Street in celebration of Brazilian Independence Day. Singers and musicians from Brasil perform the bossa nova on stage, but the people dancing in the street are the real show. Touted as "the greatest Brazilian 'happening' abroad," this festival draws a crowd of nearly 1 million people who share a love of music and good times. For more information: Brazilian American Cultural Center 212-730-1010. last update: 5/2004
West Indian American Day Carnival One of the best known and loved parades in the city, this dramatic day attracts 3 million spectators. Over 100 steel-drum bands begin arranging music and choosing their costume theme months in advance, before assembling to recruit their dancers for the parade. Each alliance of band and dancers creates a tableau of historic or mythical characters. The carefully researched and meticulously detailed costumes are among the most ornate in any New York parade. Past performances have included American Indians and the history of England. As one long-time organizer describes the event, "Like a storm, it builds for months, until the day when everyone comes together and the sweet calypso music drives you to dance." A children's carnival and parade and performances by the parade bands take place at the Brooklyn Museum prior to the main event. For more information: Brooklyn Museum, 718-638-5000. last update: 5/2004
Great Irish Fair Across 16 acres of parkland, Irish culture is on display from costumed children performing folkloric dances, to 150 vendors of Irish goods, to 7 stages of non-stop contemporary and traditional Irish music. The Fair is a showcase for "anything Irish," and includes some unusual offerings. Exhibition games of camoguie, women's football, and children's hurling offer a glimpse into Irish sporting traditions. Curroaghs, traditional Irish boats, are built on site on Saturday, and race in Sheepshead Bay on Sunday. Restaurants set up large tents, where families gather at what has come to be a giant reunion for the tri-state Irish-American community. Each day begins with a mass. For more information: Coney Island, 718-266-1234 Ancient Order of Hibernians, 718-891-6622. last update: 5/2004
Festa San Gennaro Every Italian village has a festa which celebrates its own saint's day. The Feast of San Gennaro is New York's best known. The Statue of San Gennaro, patron saint of Naples, is paraded through the streets of Little Italy and into the Church of the Most Precious Blood on Baxter Street. The most famous attraction, however, is the food. More than 300 vendors set up stands along Mulberry and other Little Italy streets. Between the stands selling sausage heros and other Italian fare, Chinese, Greek and Irish vendors dish out their native cuisines. T For more information: San Gennaro Society, www.sangennaro.org last update: 5/2004
German-American Steuben Parade The parade is named
after Friedrich Wilhelm Baron von Steuben, a Prussian general under Frederick
the Great. In 1777, Steuben joined General George Washington in a task
to turn a bunch of patriotic farm boys into what became the Continental
Army. For more information:
German-American Steuben Parade Committee of New York, 516/239-0741. last update: 5/2004
Ganesha Chathurti Celebration and Procession For nine days prior to the procession day, the Hindu temple at Browne Street is filled with prayer and decorative offerings for the celebration of Ganesha, with the shrines covered with ceremonial gifts of fruit, pearls, or flowers. Lighting of the sacred fire and a ritual bathing are performed by the priest prior to the Rathothsav, where the idol is taken outside to be carried by chariot in a procession around the temple. The idol has four arms and an elephant's face, and is believed to show the appearance of God. Its celebration is one of the most important in the Asian Indian year, as a time of festivity, prayer, and Indian identity. For more information: Hindu Temple Society of North America, 718-460-8484. last update: 5/2004
Ragamuffin Parade The imaginations of 3,000 children are on display in the costumes they create for this unique freestyle parade. High school marching bands provide a parade tempo and children of all ages take part from toddlers in strollers to teenagers on skates, from school groups to families. Every child receives a gift, and prizes are awarded to the best homemade costumes. The parade kicks off the next day's Third Avenue Festival. last update: 9/2005
United Muslim Day Parade The annual Muslim Day Parade began in 1985 and brings together communities of various ethnic and religious groups to promote a better understanding of Islam and to foster interfaith cooperation between Muslim and all other religious/community groups. All are invited to participate in this global event replete with floats, banners and placards that contain universal messages of peace, unity and justice. For more information: Muslim Foundation of America, Inc. www.mfainc.cjb.net, 718-777-5563, 718-538-4708 last update: 9/2003
Korean Harvest & Folklore Festival This event celebrates Choo-Seok, Autumn moon, a traditional Korean festival of harvest and thanksgiving. Tented restaurants and food vendors offer an array of Korean cuisine. Brilliant banners fly high above Flushing Meadows Park, and the traditional dress worn by many people fills the park with color. Dances are performed throughout the day, among them traditional farmer, fan, and circle dances. American and Korean athletics, as well as folk and children's games, take over the open spaces. For more information: Korean Produce Association, 718-842-1381. last update: 5/2004 |
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