August 12, 2026
Verenice Mackey
It isn’t every day that you see tens of thousands of Dominicanos, Dominican-Americans, and Dominicans-For-A-Day doing their thing in Midtown Manhattan, but that’s exactly what you saw if you were down there last Sunday. Massive crowds of young, old and in between packed sidewalks lining Avenue of the Americas from the 3os on up to the 50s. Both Carnival costumes and traditional outfits could be seen in the annual Dominican Day Parade here, while shorts and tee shirts were worn by most of the viewers on the very hot New York City Summer Day.
Corporations, non-profits, and brands with ties to the Caribbean nation and its New York City outpost registered their support for the community with music, floats, and souped up sports cars. Familiar names like Telemundo, Goya, and Jet Blue joined with contingents representing HHC, the Fire Department, and Transit. The pantheon of local elected officials included Comptroller Mark Levine, City Council Member Gale Brewer, and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore smiled and waved a DR flag in the Parade as fire truck and ambulance sirens wailed and air horns blasted nearby. Mayor Zohran Mamdani worked the crowd along the edges of the parade route, shaking hands and posing for selfies.
One person in the crowd observed that the crowd was smaller than last year and speculated that recent ICE activity in the City was the reason why. No official attendance figures were provided either this year or last, but subjectively, it was still a big turnout.
See for yourself here:
