The NYPD is ramping up police presence as New York City prepares to host one of its largest parades this weekend.
More than 400,000 people are expected to line the sidewalks along Sixth Avenue in Midtown on Sunday for the city’s annual Dominican Day Parade. Like previous years, the festivities will shut down multiple streets in the area, upending traffic in the process.
While city officials on Friday said that there were no credible threats made as of that time, counterterrorism teams, canine units, helicopters and drones will also be deployed in the area.
“The NYPD’s deployment and enforcement operations will not end when the parade does, officers will be out in full force Sunday night both topside and in transit to ensure that the celebrations that follow are peaceful,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference.
Tisch’s NYPD has routinely deployed large police presences to community events during Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration — including during the ongoing car-free Summer Streets series, which returns to Manhattan on Saturday.
The Dominican Day Parade will also take place as sweltering temperatures and humidity grip the city this weekend, per the National Weather Service.
Hot, humid conditions are expected to continue this weekend in New York City, with a maximum heat index of 92 degrees on Sunday. City officials asked New Yorkers to take precautions and stay hydrated if they plan to be outside during the parade.
The parade is scheduled to step off from the intersection of Sixth Avenue and West 38th Street at 11 a.m., with participants proceeding northbound onto West 55th Street.
The city will shut down Sixth Avenue from 42nd to 44th streets, including all crosstown traffic, at 10 a.m. The closure will extend from 42nd to 55th streets starting at 10:30 a.m., and will remain in place until the parade ends.
People looking to cross the area will only be able to do so at 39th, 42nd, 48th and 52nd streets.
More information on street closures can be found on the city’s website.