Fog and rain didn\u2019t stop the fancy hats from descending on Fifth Avenue this Easter Sunday..<\/p>\n
Despite the less-than-ideal weather, thousands of New Yorkers and visitors participated in the annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival, donning elaborate headgear and costumes to stroll down between 49th Street and 57th Street. St. Patrick\u2019s Cathedral plays home base for the event.<\/p>\n
The informal tradition dates back to the 1870s and reached its peak popularity in the 1930s and 1940s. The famed composer Irving Berlin wrote the song \u201cEaster Parade\u201d about the event; that song is performed in the 1948 movie \u201cEaster Parade\u201d<\/a> starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire.<\/p>\n Several attendees said the levity of the event is important.<\/p>\n Sabrina Mandell said she wanted her costume to conjure a revolutionary spirit, wearing a white jacket with blue pinstripes over a navy skirt and red boots, topped with a hat adorned in red, white and blue feathers. Mandell said it’s her fourth time participating in the parade, travelling up from her home in Maryland for the occasion.<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels really necessary right now. So many people are struggling, and it’s just unbelievable what\u2019s going on,\u201d Mandell said. \u201cIt really helps the feeling of helplessness to be in a situation where we are bringing joy to people who are feeling really joyless.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe feel like we\u2019re doing a good deed by being out here,\u201d Mandell added.<\/p>\n