The Philippine Independence Day Parade or Philippine Day Parade in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, the world's largest outside

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, takes place annually in the

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along

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

in Midtown

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. 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. The Philippine Independence Day Parade is increasingly being attended by both American politicians and Filipino celebrities 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 New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, and

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

Philippine Independence The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, as a celebration in America, has gained cultural awareness prominently after the 21st century began. Earlier generations of Filipino immigrants did not celebrate

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 Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

In many areas where there are significant

Filipino American Filipino Americans () are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos in North America were first documented in the 16th century and other small settlements beginning in the 18th century. Mass migration did not begin until after the end of the Sp ...

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 2025 Philippine Independence Day Parade in New York City will take place on June 1, 2025 at

, following the tradition of the celebration being on the first Sunday of June. There were no parades in 2020 and 2021 as it went on hiatus due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

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 (New Jersey), city in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was List of municipalities in New Jersey, the state's 16th-most-populous ...

. 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 List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

, 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.

Toronto, Canada

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

hosts an annual Philippine Independence Day Celebration.

San Francisco, California

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

celebrates Philippine Independence Day annually at Union Square. 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.

Seattle, Washington

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

celebrates Philippine Independence Day through the "Pagdiriwang Festival," held every June at the

Seattle Center The Seattle Center is an entertainment, education, tourism and performing arts center located in the Lower Queen Anne, Seattle, Lower Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. Constructed for the Century 21 Exposition, 1962 W ...

Past issues

Discrimination against attendees of the 2018 NYC Philippine Independence Day Parade

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.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Philippine Independence Day Parade, Inc.
Culture of New York City Asian-American culture in New York City Festivals in New York City Filipino-American history Filipino-American culture Filipino-American culture in New York City Parades in New York City Cultural festivals in the United States Annual events in New York City Festivals in Manhattan Fifth Avenue June Tourist attractions in Manhattan Madison Avenue Flatiron District Ethnic groups in New York City Filipino-American culture in New York (state)