Easter Sunday is one of my favorite days to be in New York City, when thousands of people come out to take part in the Fifth Ave Easter Bonnet parade.
People of all ages and demographs make huge efforts to construct incredibly elaborate Easter bonnets, and travel into the city to stroll up and down a blocked off section of Fifth Ave, posing for photos and often also taking pictures of other people’s creations.
It’s often quite chilly, but this year it was a stunning day with temperatures in the high 20’s (Celsius) and it definitely felt like the crowds were bigger than usual as a result. The bright sunshine also meant the vibrant colors on display popped even more against the grey backdrop of the street and buildings.
As usual there were plenty of pieces with strong floral inspirations, and of course many with Easter themes.
Some are inspired by current news – April the giraffe’s recent live streamed delivery of her baby drove this creation;
and others also had clearly taken note of recent topical events
I loved this little girl who’d just sat down in the middle of all the chaos to eat her icecream,
and this one who clearly didn’t care how much effort her mum had put into her outfit, there was no way she was keeping that hat on!
This group had turned their favorite New York icons into hats,
and this guy summed up what I love most about this parade. To me he doesn’t immediately fit the persona of someone you would expect to go to the time and effort of creating an Easter bonnet, but here he is rocking it and looking fantastic. I don’t know his story but I loved his hat and his attitude.
Strangers chatted on the streets, everyone was smiling, laughing, and wishing each other Happy Easter – it was a great illustration of the hope and happiness that still exists despite the negativity that so often fills our news feeds.