New York City’s famed Fifth Avenue filled with thousands of Greek-Americans and others on Sunday, March 30, who attended the traditional Greek Independence Day parade. Proudly waving the white-and-blue Greek flag, they participated in the final of the weekend-long festivities that this year marked 204 years since the start of the Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Turks.
This year’s Grand Marshals of the parade were General Andrew Poppas, the first Greek American-born four-star US Army General, alongside Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patras, the Metropolis where the Greek War of Independence began and Evangelos Marinakis, businessman and President of Olympiacos Soccer Team, which this year celebrates its centennial.
The Honorary Marshals were renowned actor, director and screenwriter Christophoros Papakaliatis, who is also the creator of the hit TV series “Maestro” and three-time Olympic champion Pyrros Dimas.
According to the New York Police Department, the parade—which opened with the Greek flag that flies over the Acropolis—the ceremonial contingent of Evzones (Presidential Guard), was one of the largest in recent years. More than 120 groups with 52 floats and 15 bands marched up Fifth Avenue from 64th to 79th Streets. Among them were federations, societies, associations, schools, churches and religious communities from the New York Metropolitan Area, Upstate New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Montreal, Canada.
America’s largest Greek parade was attended by a number of distinguished guests, including Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Ambassador of Greece to the United Nations Evangelos Sekeris, Ambassador of Greece to the United States Aikaterini Nassika, former Ambassador of the United States to Greece, George Tsunis, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and several state officials including senators and US Members of Congress. Several other distinguished guests came to attend the parade from Greece, including Nikos Androulakis, President of PASOK-KINAL, MPs Andreas Katsaniotis of Nea Dimokratia and Vasilis Kokkalis of Syriza, along with Greek-American mayors and governors.
The annual Greek parade is being organized under the auspices of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, with General Chairman Philip Christopher leading a thirty five-member committee. It was streamlined live for the second year.
The annual event, a celebration of Hellenic identity, culture, and achievements in the world, has been organized since 1938 by the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, a non-profit organization committed to fostering an appreciation of Greek-American heritage and achievement.
Decades earlier, parades organized by the Greek American communities in New York honoring the Greek War of Independence were not held in Manhattan but were usually held in Queens. Securing the necessary permit to hold the parade on New York City’s Fifth Avenue, where the city’s largest ethnic groups like the Italians, Irish and Jews also hold their parades, is considered one of the biggest achievements of New York’s Greek community.
The parade culminated the weekend-long celebrations for the Greek Independence Day that began on Friday, March 28 with the raising of the Greek flag at Manhattan’s Bowling Green Park. Prior to the flag-raising ceremony, a doxology service was held at St. Nicholas, officiated by Archbishop Elpidoforos of America. He was joined by Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patras while Greek-American singer Evangelia performed the national anthems of the United States and Greece before the Greek flag was raised on the flagpole during a ceremony. The Independence Parade Gala honoring this year’s Grand Marshals was held on Saturday, March 29.
This year, during the Greek Independence Day Parade in New York, citizens also participated holding banners calling for justice in the wake of the train tragedy in Tempi. The powerful messages echoed the demand for accountability and a commitment to ensuring such a tragedy is never repeated. The solidarity shown highlighted the deep connection between the Greek-American community and the ongoing fight for justice in Greece.
