| Philippine Independence Day Parade | |
|---|---|
 From Manila to Manhattan: Philippine Independence Day Parade 2013 banner, on Madison Avenue in New York City | |
| Also called | Philippine Day Parade, Parada ng Kalayaan |
| Observed by | Filipino people around the world, particularly Filipino Americans |
| Type | Filipino, Filipino American, Overseas Filipino Cultural |
| Significance | The celebration of the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain in 1898 |
| 2023 date | June 4, 2023 |
The Philippine Independence Day Parade or Philippine Day Parade in New York City, the world's largest outside Manila,[1] takes place annually in the United States along Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The parade is held on the first Sunday in June. Its main purpose is to create awareness of Philippine culture and to raise funds for charity projects in the Philippines and the United States.[2] The Philippine Independence Day Parade is increasingly being attended by both American politicians and Filipino celelebrities as well as diplomatic officials who are keenly aware of the significant and increasing political and economic power exerted by the Filipino diaspora in New York and neighboring New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.[3][4]
Philippine Independence, as a celebration in America, has gained cultural awareness prominently after the 21st century began. Earlier generations of Filipino immigrants did not celebrate Philippine Independence in significant ways. Philippine Independence Day is now widely celebrated among Filipinos in the United States and is now a major event for many Filipino Americans to rekindle their roots and heritage and to commemorate the June 1898 presentation of the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain.
In many areas where there are significant Filipino American populations in the United States celebrate Philippine Independence in the month of June. The largest among Philippine Independence celebrations in the United States takes place in New York City every first Sunday of June. The Philippine Independence Day Parade in New York City attracts over 200,000 people.
The 2023 Philippine Independence Day Parade in New York City took place on June 4, 2023, at Madison Avenue, following the tradition of the celebration being on the first Sunday of June. There was no parade in 2020 and 2021 as it went on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Several celebrations dedicated to Philippine Independence are done throughout the world. An example of this would be a smaller annual Philippine Independence Day Parade held in early June in Passaic, New Jersey.[5] This parade is organized by a large Filipino and Filipino-American organization known as the Philippine Day Organizing Council (PDOC). Another major Philippine parade is held in New Jersey called the Philippine-American Friendship Day Parade in Jersey City, New Jersey, it is held every fourth Sunday of June to celebrate Philippine-American Friendship Day, which is July 4. The Philippine government declared July 4 every year as Philippine-American Friendship Day after the celebration of Philippine Independence Day was moved from July 4 to June 12.[6][7]
Toronto hosts an annual Philippine Independence Day Celebration.[8]
San Francisco celebrates Philippine Independence Day annually at Union Square.[9] The Philippine flag is raised at the San Francisco City Hall every June 12 as a commemoration of the event and for San Francisco's large Filipino community.[10]
Seattle celebrates Philippine Independence Day through the "Pagdiriwang Festival," held every June at the Seattle Center.[11]
New York City rejected a formal complaint of discrimination and found no violation of the City zoning code when attendees of the June 3, 2018, Philippine Independence day parade were cleared from a designated New York City Madison Avenue public plaza on the parade route. The public plaza was then barricaded, patrolled by building security and access denied to the parade crowd. New York City officials, in rejecting the complaints filed by witnesses, offered no explanation why the largely Filipino crowd could not sit or stand in the public plaza which is designated to be open 24 hours for public use.[12]