The Philippine Independence Day Parade, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, the world's largest outside the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, takes place annually in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

along

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Str ...

in the

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

. The parade is held on the first Sunday in June. Its main purpose is to create awareness of

Philippine culture The culture of the Philippines is characterized by cultural diversity. Although the multiple ethnic groups of the Philippine archipelago have only recently established a shared Filipino national identity, their cultures were all shaped by the ...

and to raise funds for charity projects in the

and the

. Philippine Independence, as a celebration in

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, 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 widely celebrated among Filipinos in the

and is now a major event for many Filipino Americans to rekindle their roots and heritage. Many areas where there are significant

Filipino American Filipino Americans ( fil, Mga Pilipinong Amerikano) are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos and other Asian ethnicities in North America were first documented in the 16th century as slaves and prisoners on ships sailing to and from New ...

populations in the United States celebrate Philippine Independence in the month of June. The largest among Philippine Independence celebrations in the

takes place in

every first Sunday of June. The Philippine Independence Day Parade in

attracts over 100,000 people. The 2022 Philippine Independence Day Parade in New York City took place on June 5, 2022, at

, 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.

Brief history

Together with the Filipino American community, the Philippine Consulate General in New York created the Philippine Independence Day Committee (PIDC) to commemorate the birth of Philippine Independence. Established in 1990 during Consul General Hermenegildo Garcia's term, PIDC is an ad hoc committee with a life cycle of one year. All consuls general would later become the honorary overall chairperson for the corresponding year. The position of overall chairperson is elected every year. The winner in the election will then appoint the rest of her/his executive committee. At first, the theme of each year's celebration is handed down from the

Government of the Philippines The Government of the Philippines ( fil, Pamahalaan ng Pilipinas) has three interdependent branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The Philippines is governed as a unitary state under a presidential representative and d ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

. Later on, the overall chairperson chooses the theme for her/his term. The coat of arms of the Republic of the Philippines is the centerpiece of the PIDC logo and PIDC's official address is that of the Philippine Consulate in New York. Checks payable to PIDC are mailed to and received by the Philippine Consulate and handed over to PIDC. All PIDC meetings, with rare exceptions, are conducted at the consulate. The Philippine Independence Day celebration in the

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includes not only New York but also the twelve states under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in New York, namely, Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Depending on the theme each year, the overall chairperson may expand and invite other areas to participate in PIDC's many activities. Traditionally held along

from 37th to 25th Streets in

, the climax of the preparation, the Philippine Independence Day Parade, Street Fair and Cultural Show, held on the first Sunday in June each year is the biggest celebration of Philippine Independence outside the Philippines. The Street Fair and Cultural Show take place on the east side of Madison Square Park. The festivities include a beauty, brains and talent contest that concludes in the ''Diwa ng Kalayaan'' (Spirit of Independence) Selection and Coronation Pageant and Gala, Philippine Independence Ball (the culminating festivity of the annual commemoration held on the Saturday after the first Sunday in June), An Evening with the Consul General, the Grand Marshal Gala, other fund raising activities, special cultural presentations and other events that may be initiated by the overall chairperson. The Philippine Consulate extends its support and guidance to the PIDC from inception to culmination of the annual event. It begins with the sending of invitations to community leaders to a general meeting, election of overall chairperson, and in the planning and execution of activities up to Appreciation Night where the Consul General awards certificates of appreciation to PIDC officers and members. Since 1993, there were calls for incorporation of PIDC. On September 8, 2001, with the election of the overall chairperson, the members of the Filipino American community were also given the chance to cast their vote on the incorporation of PIDC. Results showed that majority of Filipino Americans are in favor of incorporating PIDC. With paperwork and processing, an incorporated PIDC will take over the reins of the annual commemoration in 2003. Hence, 2002 was PIDC's last year under the auspices of the Consulate General of the Philippines, New York. The Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) was issued its certificate of incorporation on February 14, 2002, and the new corporation took over the planning, organizing, production, execution, direction and presentation of the annual New York commemoration of the anniversary of the declaration of Philippine Independence. Under the bylaws of PIDCI, the Philippine Consul General in New York remained as an honorary adviser and the commemorations were held "with the cooperation of the Consulate General of the Philippines".

About the parade

The Philippine Independence Day Parade, like any major New York City parades, has a set schedule for its annual celebration. Its usual slot is the first Sunday of June. Since its inception in 1990, the parade has steadily garnered attention not only from the Filipino American community, also from the general population of the New York metropolitan area. The Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc., which was preceded by the ad-hoc community organization Philippine Independence Day Committee under the auspices of the Consulate General of the Philippines in New York, has been criticized for failing to invite prominent leaders and figures to join the annual event. Also, the council, and the committee before that, has been continuously called on to allow younger Filipinos and Filipino Americans to collaborate in organizing the Philippine Independence Day Parade as opposed to the usual older generation of Filipinos, who are members of the current organizing group. The annual parade also experiences protests from several Philippine civic and political groups.

Other parts of the world

Passaic, Jersey City, New Jersey

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 Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,7 ...

. 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 Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.

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