Fifth Avenue

New York City held its 82nd annual Columbus Day Parade on Fifth Avenue, drawing tens of thousands of participants and an estimated one million spectators to celebrate Italian American heritage and mark the anniversary of Christopher Columbus' 1492 arrival in the Americas. Several stretches of Fifth Avenue and side streets were closed for the event.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a longtime critic of Columbus, did not attend and skipped three related events over the weekend. Andre Dimino, president of the Italian American One Voice Coalition, criticized the snub, recalling Mamdani's 2020 campaign to remove a Columbus statue in Astoria while posting a photo of an obscene gesture toward it. Dimino argued Italian Americans are being disrespected by a mayor in such a prominent position. Mamdani has reportedly said he will host a separate Italian American heritage month reception at Gracie Mansion at a later date.