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"New York City is a festival," exclaimed one visitor to the city. Indeed, every year there are upwards of 70 official festivals throughout New York City's five boroughs not to mention the hundreds of block parties, park gatherings, and club parties New Yorkers host and attend.

What do New Yorkers celebrate? We celebrate our ethnic heritage (we represent well over 150 countries), our artistry, sexual orientation, community gardens and green space, the sea and its maidens, poetry, religion, saints, sinners, the new year, foodways, and yes, even hair (Wigstock).

It's often said that New York is the big apple—the apple of biblical Adam and Eve. With one bite, you know all the joy and all the sorrow in this life.

Living in New York is as cruel as it is magical, and New Yorkers have a long tradition of tossing it all up to a well-lived life and celebrating the experience.

Since 1986, City Lore has worked in partnership with award-winning ethnographic photographer Martha Cooper todocument the vibrant expressions of New York's communities.

Celebration City: A Sampling of New York City's Cultural Festivals and Parades captures 75 events that take place all year long in neighborhoods throughout the city, where ethnicity, faith, artistry, humor, and fun are on display. In this guide you'll see that ties to the past are reaffirmed.

Alliances for the future are made. "This is us! This is who we are," these festivals and parades proudly proclaim. And the whole city is invited to the party.

This online resource offers New York City-aficionados a glimpse of our city's celebrations. Please visit our Image Archives for information on images that capture these wonderful events.

If you're interested in obtaining an original print copy of Celebration City (US $5. each), please contact us.