The Best Parades in New York City

The LGBT Pride March is part of the annual New York Gay Pride Week festivities which take place every June.

The nation's largest public Halloween celebration, the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade has been a New York institution for 36 years. It's even listed in the book, 100 Things to Do Before You Die: Travel Events You Just Can't Miss.

Since 1924, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a holiday tradition for New Yorkers and TV viewers around the world. More than 2.5 million spectators line the streets of New York to see the balloons, the floats, and the celebrities.

Many New Yorkers and visitors enjoy watching the balloons inflate the night before the parade.

Crowds in excess of two million line Fifth Avenue every June for the Puerto Rican Day Parade.

The New York City Easter Parade has been an annual tradition since Civil War days and features marchers in elaborate Easter finery, including some of the fanciest Easter bonnets imaginable.

The first St.Patrick's Day parade in New York City was organized in 1762 by Irish soldiers. It's one of the few New York parades that does not allow cars, floats, or other vehicles, and the only one that features leprechauns drinking green beer.

Every May, New Yorkers gather for some dancing in the streets at the New York City Dance Parade and Festival. Who needs floats and marching bands when you have dancing feet?

Around 35,000 marchers and more than a million spectators converge on Fifth Avenue to celebrate the contributions of New York's Italian-American community during the New York Columbus Day Parade in October.

El Museo del Barrio celebrates Three Kings Day in January with a procession through the streets of East Harlem. Where else can you find live camels, music, colorful puppets, dancing, and parrandas in one fabulous event?

The New York Veterans Day Parade is the oldest and largest of its kind in the nation. Since November 11, 1919, the parade has provided an opportunity for New Yorkers and visitors to honor those who have served.

This annual Chinatown parade celebrates the Lunar New Year with marching bands, dragon dancers, acrobats, floats, and more.

While the annual New York City dog Halloween parade doesn't quite have the history and gravitas of some of the other famous New York parades, cute dogs in costume are always a crowd-pleaser.