Joe Piscopo & Maria Bartiromo - Parade Co-Anchors
The Annual Columbus Day Parade
on Fifth Avenue, New York City
Monday, October 12, 2009
Fifth Ave. from 47th to 79th Streets
11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
35,000 marchers. Over 100 bands, floats and contingents. Nearly one million spectators.
On October 12, Fifth Avenue will be transformed during the Columbus Day Parade, the world’s largest celebration of Italian-American culture. This year the parade will be lead by Grand Marshal Kenneth G. Langone. Mr. Langone is the co-founder of Home Depot and Chairman of the NYU Langone Medical Center. Honorees include Frank A. Corvino, President & CEO of Greenwich Hospital, Ronald J. Ferrelli, Managing Director, Northeast Division, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and as Special Honored Guest from Italy Federica Pellegrini, 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist/2009 World Record Holder.
The parade celebrates the spirit of exploration and courage that inspired Christopher Columbus’s 1492 expedition and the important contributions Italian-Americans have made to the United States. Over a dozen high school bands, as well as virtuosi professional groups from the United States and Italy, will make the march up Fifth Avenue and fill the canyons of midtown with joyous, heart-pounding music. Traditional folk groups will perform centuries-old dances, and cutting-edge designs will be brought to the parade route in displays of the vibrant culture that is Italy today.