Fifth Avenue Comes Alive for NYC Columbus Day Parade October 12 2014

Columbus Day, a day celebrating the arrival of Italian explorer Columbus in 1492, was celebrated for the first time by New York City political organization Tammany Hall in 1792. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared it a national holiday.

It's a most unusual American holiday, as it commemorates an event that occurred well before the United States was a nation.

Billed as “the largest celebration of Christopher Columbus’s historic voyage and of Italian-American heritage and achievement in the world,” last  year’s parade attracted 35,000 marchers and nearly 1 million spectators.

This year’s parade takes place Monday, October 13 from 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. along 5th Avenue between 47th and 72nd Streets.

In display will be over 130 groups, including 30 marching bands, 25 floats, dance troupes and entertainers for a non-stop spectacle of family entertainment and strong representation of Italian pride. Performances will include never-before-seen acts, virtuoso performances of traditional Italian and Italian-American music and dance, street performers, historical and contemporary floats, and national and international dignitaries. Highlights include: Jena Irene, former American Idol performer, The Harlem Globetrotters, The West Point Marching Band, Italian Fairy performer Simona Rodano, Deanna DellaCioppa from America's Got Talent, The Nunziata Brothers, Acclaimed Tenor, Michael Fabiano and many more.