Despite the controversy surrounding Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s decision to snub his invitation to march in the Columbus Day Parade, it was readily apparent that the day was a celebration for those who did attend, whether they marched or watched. The weather was pleasant, the bands were lively, and the paisani in the crowd felt it was the mayor’s loss, now let’s march and dance a tarantella. WOR’s Beat on the Street Natalie Migliore took her microphone and most comfortable sneakers to Fifth Avenue, where she trailed the Columbus Day Parade for 710 WOR’s Curtis Sliwa and Larry Mendte in the Morning program. She didn’t get any sausage and peppers, but she did get the sounds of the day and the people who make it one of New York’s most vibrant cultural events.
The Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day debate is always in the background; one paradegoer addressed that topic succinctly: “Columbus Day is fine. It’s always been Columbus Day. Not Indigerous (sic) Day, it’s Columbus Day.” When asked to elaborate about people who choose the latter, he added, “I think they’re **********, and I was being polite!”
One parade goer told Migliore that Mamdani should have been on 5th Avenue out of simple common courtesy: “I think that says a lot in itself, because as a mayor you should support anything and everything going on in your city. Whether you agree with it or not, I think it’s just very professional of you to attend everything.”…