44th annual India Day Parade held in Midtown – NBC New York

Thousands packed Manhattan’s Madison Ave. on Sunday to celebrate India’s independence at the 44th annual India Day Parade, the largest celebration of its kind in the country.

The parade took over 13 blocks of Madison Ave. between East 39th and East 26th streets, with Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-New York) helping to kick things off and marching alongside other dignitaries.

“It’s very good. You can see every country is here. Everyone’s celebrating… it’s an awesome feeling,” an attendee said.

Behind the dignitaries, more than 40 floats rolled through Manhattan in orange, white and green — the colors of the Indian flag.

“It’s wonderful. That’s what it’s all about. It’s unity and diversity,” said Prashant Patel, who came down with his family from Boston.

“It’s pretty great. It feels like a party and I feel good that I’m here,” Shurudhi Saravanan of Chennai, India, said.

Adults and kids along the parade route watched the colorful floats and listened as drums and gongs echoed along the avenue.

“It reminds me of India,” Aayush said.

The celebration also featured costumed participants — including an “Indian Elvis,” dressed in a golden outfit.

“India was the golden part. All full of gold,” said Rahj Gupta, dressed as the golden-tinted king of rock ‘n’ roll. “People used to go to India to get jobs to do the business. That’s like a little piece of India.”

A “golden Elvis” helped celebrate India’s independence Sunday in Midtown (Image: NBC New York)

As the crowd commemorated India’s independence, Patel said the parade made him feel connected to both countries.

“It’s like a closely tight community — India and America, and America and India. And I think it’s a great relation,” Patel said.

People said this year’s parade delivered on its theme of “Harmony in Heritage,” bringing together attendees from many different backgrounds who felt unified in celebration.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC New York. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC New York journalist edited the article for publication.