Persian Day Parade Brings Iranian Pride to Madison Avenue

Thousands of passionate Persians brought sights and sounds of Iranian pride to Madison Avenue on April 19 for the annual Persian Day Parade. Though the number of participants likely surpassed that of the spectators lining the route from 38th to 26th streets, the day was both joyous and one of the most moving such events on Manhattan’s crowded parade calendar.

If this admixture of celebration and protest isn’t entirely unique— some other ethnic parades also reflect human rights issues in their homelands—it was very specific, with the diverse Persian diaspora in solidarity with each other and the victims of the Islamic Regime that has killed, brutalized and oppressed so many women and men for so long in Iran.

That this reality now overlaps with United States’ and Israel’s war against Iran has been the cause of many confused and contradictory responses, especially in New York. What’s more important, the plight of innocent Iranians or “Fighting Trump” and scorning Netanyahu’s Israel? The answer, it appears, is complicated.

In early March, Straus News published a story about a rally in Washington Square Park headlined “3 Arrested At Khamenei Vigil as Iranians Declare Solidarity with Jews”. This past January one would-be hitman of New York resident and dissdent Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Manhattan federal court. In October 2025, the same court sentenced two Russian mobsters to 25 years in prison for hiring the would-be hitman to murder Alinejad in Brooklyn, where she was living. While Alinejad’s plight and courage has received substantial attention over the years—a 2024 NPR story was headlined “She was the target of an Iranian assassination plot. She now lives in its shadow”—the fact that she doesn’t condemn the war in Iran has alienated her, at least publicly, from groups who otherwise make human rights and the protection of journalists a cause.

By contrast, in both statement and deed, this year’s Persian Day Parade was a refutation of silence about Iran. In the Persian Parade Foundation’s own words, which they emphasize are non-political: “The Persian Day Parade has long been a celebration of the rich history, heritage, and culture of the Iranian people. This year, while continuing that proud tradition, the Parade will also be dedicated to honoring the memory of the brave Iranian men and women who have lost their lives, have been imprisoned, or have suffered amid the current conflict and ongoing challenges in Iran. We also remember all victims affected by the broader conflict and extend our deepest sympathies to their families.”

“The Persian Parade Foundation reiterates its unwavering solidarity with the people of Iran and expresses deep concern over the violence and suppression of innocent individuals, including peaceful demonstrators seeking economic opportunity, freedom of expression, and a better future. We stand with all those who advocate for human dignity, justice, and a more inclusive and representative society.”

Freedom on the March

If these words seem hard to argue with, their broad sentiment was echoed the only elected politician at the event, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. “The Comp,” as he’s playfully nicknamed, thanked the organizers and mentioned “Nowruz,” the Persian New Year, which marks the beginning of spring on the Iranian calendar—which is two millennia old, based on Zoroastrianism and distinct from the Lunar calendars which have recently marked Chinese New Year and Passover.

DiNapoli also hailed his own hometown of Great Neck, Long Island, which has a substantial Persian population. “Especially in the year 2026, with everything going on in the Middle East, and what’s happening in Iran, it’s so important than we in New York show our solidarity with the Iranian people.”

For their part, the parade organizer’s were generous, thanking Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the agencies who make events like this happen including NYPD, FDNY, the Departments of Sanitation and Transportation. (Mayor Eric Adams did attend last year’s parade but because the Mayor’s Office has only a single X account, Adams’ April 27, 2025, post about it now appears under Mamdani’s name.)

If a statement “This year’s parade is dedicated to the victims of the Iranian Regime, over 40-50,000 people senseleslessly lost their lives because of the brutality of the Regime” is a tough way to kick off a celebration, it’s testament to Persian resolve and the rejection of ethnic and religious sectarianism (“We are all part of one nation”) that is was so.

Highlights in the line of march this windy day including the ongoing snap of Iranian and American flags on ever rousing NYPD Marching Band. Women and men in brightly colored dresses and robes abounded, as did the recorded sounds of various traditional Persian musics, it’s only a shame no live bands performed on the floats.

Nonetheless, some of these floats were extraordinary, and quite unlike those in other parades, especially those reprensenting Persian historical sites. Thus, for example, a flatbed truck with a large Gate of Nations built upon it, men in traditional blue robes and hats and stone carvings with statements, in English, like ” First Declaration of Human Rights”; “Abolish Slavery”; “Freedom to Worship”; “Choice of Homeleand”; “Respect of Human Rights”; and “Freedom of Speech.”

These principles and others like them were also expressed in elegant Farsi script here and on other floats.

Another stunning, diorama-like float was that celebrating the State of Cyrus; Tomb of Cyrus; and Passargad (sometimes spelled Pasargadae) –an ancient Iranian city founded in the 6th century BCE.

A float representing Khorosan, a historic region of Eastern Iran that today falls withiin the borders of multiple neighboring nations, was one of many festooned with the names and photos of the victims, many of them young, many of them women, of the Iranian Regime: Shiva Javid, Tahereh (Noshin) Arabenjad, Zahra Eidinezad, Mooen Saghoori and more.