Dance Parade New York represents an exceptional opportunity for visitors to the city in May 2025. This major event, scheduled for Saturday 17 May 2025, will transform the streets of Manhattan into a lively and colourful spectacle featuring more than 100 different dance styles. Under the theme “Freedom to Dance”, this 19th annual edition will bring together more than 10,000 dancers to create what is the world’s largest event dedicated to the diversity of dance.
History and mission of Dance Parade
Dance Parade has its origins in a dance advocacy movement linked to a 1926 cabaret licensing requirement that restricted dancing in New York for 91 years. In 2006, the New York State Supreme Court ruled against a group of house, hip-hop, ballet and swing dancers, declaring that social dancing was not considered an expressive activity protected by 1st Amendment freedoms. In response, the first ever Dance Parade was organised in 2007 to showcase dance as expressive in all its forms. In 2017, the organisation succeeded in having the Cabaret Act repealed, freeing dance venues from this licensing requirement.
Today, this 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation’s mission is to promote dance as an expressive and unifying art form by celebrating its diversity. The organisers firmly believe that live dance performance can awaken a human spirit of community and has the potential to create a more equitable and dynamic society.
The parade: a spectacular event
The route and how it unfolds
The parade starts on Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) and 17th Street, heads south and then turns east onto 8th Street. As it passes through Astor Pl, each group is announced with its choreography on the platform at 4th Avenue. This section is nicknamed“40 Second Street” because each group has 40 seconds to show off its talent. The parade then moves on to Saint Marks Place and finishes at Avenue A.
The parade is a colourful explosion of talented dancers. A family and community favourite, this annual parade is a unique showcase of New York’s rich and diverse artistic community and the cohesive impact it has on the international community.
Dance styles represented
Dance Parade New York showcases cultural diversity with ethnic groups including African, Middle Eastern, Latin American, Asian, as well as social dance styles such as swing, salsa, tango, hip-hop and club dance. Traditional dance forms such as ballet, modern, tap and jazz are also widely represented. Modern forms include dancers from New York nightclubs with soulful house, electronic and burning man artists, as well as hip-hop, whacking, voguing, popping and locking dancers.
The New York Dance Police
A brigade of 30 men and women in uniform, the“NYDP” (New York Dance Police), patrol the parade looking for participants to join the dance. Continuing a fan-favourite tradition started in 2007, members of the public, spectators or others who are not dancing are approached by the dance police and questioned. Non-dancers receive a summons stating that they must report to a dance school or nightclub to serve their sentence: dance lessons or practice. The summons is accompanied by a discount or free entry to a club or school.
DanceFest: the festival after the parade
As the parade spills into Tompkins Square Park, it transforms the space into a world of lively dance demonstrations and interactive activities. At DanceFest, hours of stage performances, dance classes, workshops, children’s activities and dance parties await those who attend this post-parade festival.
This festival serves as a grand finale to the parade and includes programmed stage performances, “dance experience booths”, a teaching zone and a social dance zone, all free to the public and offering an opportunity for artistic dialogue and collaboration.
DanceFest 2025 will run from 3pm to 7pm and is expected to attract around 11,000 spectators to watch 90 different performances, representing 40 types of dance, with 450 artists and 8 dance workshops/courses.
Community engagement programmes
Dance Parade ‘s community engagement programmes enable participants of all ages, from schools to community and senior centres, to discover their own innate ability to communicate ideas, thoughts and feelings through dance.
These programmes include :
- Cultural Residencies: multi-week programmes focusing on culturally specific dance forms
- Community Kinect: using dance to instil a lifelong enthusiasm for fitness
- Ageless Action: serving older Americans through the joy of movement and dance
- Workshops and performances: one-day performances and workshops
- Virtual programmes: making dance accessible anywhere
All participants in the community engagement programmes have the unique opportunity to dance alongside their teachers in the annual parade in May!
Practical information
Dates and times
The Dance Parade 2025 will take place on Saturday 17 May 2025 from noon to 4pm, while DanceFest will run from 3pm to 7pm.
Route and points of interest
- Parade start: 6th Avenue and 17th Street
- Grandstand: 4th Avenue and 8th Street: the best place to see over 100 different styles of dance
- DanceFest: Tompkins Square Park: post-parade festival with five stages
Access and transport
To get to the start of the parade, several metro lines serve the area near Union Square and 6th Avenue. For DanceFest in Tompkins Square Park, visitors can take the metro to Astor Place or 2nd Avenue and then walk a few minutes to the park.
Grandstand
The Grandstand, located at Astor Place, where 4th Avenue meets St. Mark’s Place, seats over 300 spectators and offers the best seat on the parade route to watch the 10,000 dancers stop and perform. Tickets are available for purchase and all proceeds go towards offsetting the cost of the parade.
Who is this event for?
The Dance Parade is aimed at a very diverse audience. Demographics show that the event attracts people of all ages, with a fairly even spread.
Why attend Dance Parade?
The parade and festival are excellent ways to educate the community about theevolution of dance, the vital role it has played in cultures around the world, and the importance of supporting the organisations and individuals who work so hard to preserve and promote this vital art form.
According to José Mendoza, director of the Xochipilli dance ensemble: “As the director of a Mexican folk ensemble, it is an extraordinary pleasure to be part of the Dance Parade. With the current news about walls and immigration, we want to show the world the real aspects of our culture through our music and dance.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said, “Since its inception in 2006, Dance Parade New York has become an eagerly anticipated event, providing exciting opportunities for dancers to share their moves and learn and enjoy other dance traditions.”
Goals for 2025
For the 2025 edition, organisers are aiming to attract around 120,000 spectators to the parade, with 10,000 dancing participants, 160 groups represented, 100 different types of dance and 75 decorated vehicles and floats.
If you’re planning to visit New York in May 2025, don’t miss this spectacular celebration of the art of movement. Dance Parade New York offers a unique cultural experience that showcases the diversity and richness of dance in all its forms.
