Every Easter Sunday, New Yorkers put on their best bonnets (or rabbit ears) and come to Manhattan to participate in the Easter Bonnet Parade on 5th Avenue between 49th and 57th Street. Unlike most parades, this event does not require anyone to march down a street or register with an organization. Basically, it is a street party where everyone can dress-up and come hang out with their friends on 5th Avenue, which is closed to traffic.Despite the cold weather and snow (yes, we had snow this afternoon but it did not stick), tourists, photographers and bloggers like me come out to catch the spectacle of this creative, colorful and zany event. Everyone there was more than willing to have their photos taken.
I took so many photos that I decided to do a collage of the best ones. It was one of the most exciting and fun events I have ever attended and photographed.
No, I did not dress up in a costume. Maybe next year I will put on a pair of rabbit ears and be a photograhee, instead of the photographer.
If you could go, what would you wear to the Easter Bonnet Parade?
24 comments:
My brother told me the large format photos are too big for his computer screen. I have a wide screen laptop so it looks perfectly fine to me.
Please let me know if the photo is too big on your screen and I will try to figure out how to adjust it.
Thanks.
Totally brilliant, Ming. I'd absolutely love to see this parade one day. One day....
Thanks for a great photo.
Jilly x
Its wonderful. I like to see how people have fun:)
Cool! I don't know what I would wear... Something really big I guess! :)
I didn't know about this parade until yesterday when I read Annie's post.
by the way, I'm seeing your pictures really well, I love this new format!
The photo comes over clearly here too.
I just love this montage and i'd have loved to see the parade.
That little dog has me cracking up...
Angela
Thank you Ming fo posting these wonderful Easter bonnets you saw at the parade. I sang, in my head, this song while I was looking over your photos:
Easter Bonnet
Written by Irving Berlin
In your Easter bonnet with all the frills upon it,
You'll be the grandest lady in the Easter Parade.
I'll be all in clover, and when they look you over
I'll be the proudest fellow in the Easter Parade.
On the Avenue, Fifth Avenue,Easter Stories - Easter Bonnet the song
The photographers will snap us
And you'll find that you're in the rotogravure.
Oh, I could write a sonnet about your Easter bonnet
And of the girl I'm taking to the Easter Parade.
In my Easter bonnet with all the frills upon it,
I'll be the grandest lady in the Easter Parade.
You'll be all in clover, and when they look me over
You'll be the proudest fellow in the Easter Parade.
On the Avenue, Fifth Avenue,
The photographers will snap us
And you'll find that you're in the rotogravure.
Oh, you may write a sonnet about my Easter bonnet
And of the girl you're taking to the Easter Parade.
Something curious screams out to me in this pic collage...
Isn't it interesting how creative people can be when the illusions of 'permission' are removed?
Raw human creativity can be beautiful to behold.
The things people lock away inside their heads and desire to create and build...wow! It takes something like this...the freedom of expression...to pull it out and expose that inner fun child inside us all.
as far as pic size...
I have a cinema screen and the pic size is fine; however, I suspect it would not fit on a smaller setup.
IDEA! Perhaps you could trim the column size and make 2 collages instead of the one. This event deserves to be seen. Koodoos once again on exposing the real human side of NYC and inspiring me this morning.
Laterz,
Bri.
www.DeltaMovies.com
La.
Cool pics, Ming! looks like you've won yourself a regular! Beautiful hats always look absolutely ridiculous on me, so .. you won't see me parading anywhere in one. I'm just happy to admire them on others.
Love this, wish I could have been there to see it...
I think my hat would have been a giant sort of flopsy southern belle beach hat with flowers on one side, it would have been off black (I know, hoe un-Easter) but it would have had a pink flower and a cream ribbon around it.
Anyone knows where I can buy those bunny ears (first row, third colum)? I love them so much! I can wear them for Halloween (as an ugly Playboy bunny) and for Easter next year.
Anyone in NYC next year for Easter, let me know. We can all dress up and go to the parade. I really enjoyed the Easter Parade because everyone was so civilized and respectful. The Halloween Parade is a little more dangerous because there are way too many drunk college kids around.
Ming - more wonderful "life in New York" images. A question: did you get signed releases from all of these people or orally ask their permission to put the pix on your blog? I'm a lawyer, as you know, but I don't know a thing about intellectual property. When you register your CDPB there are instructions (I presume from Eric) cautioning about posting people's pictures without permission. I checked around a little and I think it's okay in the US if you don't use the image for ANY commercial purpose (disclaimer: I am not giving anyone legal advice). Apparently the laws are far more strict in much of Europe.
Bob
Another Sunnyside boy
St. Louis Missouri Daily Photo Blog
Bob - This was something that I had asked about (from non-professionals) and was told that (1) as long as it is not a commercial enterprise, it should be okay; (2) the photos were taken in a public space and at a public event where the express purpose was to have your photographs taken.
Nonetheless, I always ask for permission to take a photo, esp. if the face/identity will be revealed.
Maybe other lawyers can tell us more about it.
...and a good time was had by all...Great collage!
I would wear my big floppy beach hat - would that work? I can stick a hibiscus blossom on it ;-)
Wow wonderful pictures, looks like great fun! I think I would have to make my bonnett with eggs in a basket on top!! would take a while to make!
So colorful and I'm sure everyone is enjoying themselves :D
I'm starting to think if it's crowded and everyone wears a bonnet, what will happen? :O
these are wonderful photographs, brilliant bonnets. If I were in the easter parade I think I'd have to go with a bearskin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearskin) - fake fur of course!
An Easter parade, complete with Easter Bonnets! What a great idea. I'd love to be part of that. Perhaps I should suggest it to our Mayor and Town Council to make it an event for next year.
I'll start designing my Bonnet right away!
All too Narcissistic for me...
Well, at least they all seem to be very happy, and they make quite nice models for these beautiful pictures...
It was a wonderful parade !I wish I could see it one day !! People seemed to enjoy a lot ! I think that I would wear a big hat with 3 eggs on it with the top of their cockles broken ! Inside each eggs there would be little chicks popping out with the broken part of the cockle still on their head (just like if they were being born )!!!
PS://Ming your pictures are perfect !!! My laptop has a normal screen and the resolution is set to 1024x768pixels and it looks perfect !!!
Love the photos! Everyone seems excited.
Paz
I'm from Perth, Western Australia, so the concept of the Easter Parade is a foreign one to me. It doesn't appear to be associated with any religious group (from the photos anyway) - would love to know more about its origins and its meaning today if anyone knows.
We don't have anything like that here, although the Fremantle Buskers/Street Arts Festival was on over the weekend.....I was working so didn't get any pics :o(
maybe i shall make a trip to NYC next year during Easter. haha..
and with many other DPs (hopefully... all will go too) we can walk around. haha...
i have a wide screen, so the pictures are fine on my screen :-)
the photos on my site are set to be that size, so it fits my sister's PC too. hahah... yup, trial and error...
awesome how you did this post - looks very fun and everyone seems so happy - I choose the dog's bonnet! =)
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