Lineup
United Spinal will be lining up in Section A at Madison Square Park.
Please plan to arrive no later than 10 AM so we can distribute T-shirts.
This year there will not be any opening remarks at the beginning of the parade, so once the clock strikes 11:00AM, we are off! Section A which is located on East 26th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue. We are most likely going to be assembling closer to the Madison Avenue side of the street.
The full parade route starts at Madison Square Park from East 26th Street and Broadway to East 16th Street where we will turn into Union Square Park.
At the end of the parade at Union Square Park there will be live music and dancing performances starting at 11:40 AM until 3:00PM.
There will also be a kids and family area in Union Square Park, food for sale, accessible vehicle demonstrations, accessible voting booth demonstrations, and other great exhibitions and information in booths.
Transportation
Subway/Bus Access
At Madison Square Park, the nearby 23rd Street 6 station is accessible on both the uptown and downtown sides. Bus Connections available: M1, M2, M3, M55 and the 23rd Street crosstown bus make stops in the immediate vicinity of Madison Square Park.
At Union Square, subway station is accessible for the NQRW and L train lines. Be advised that the 456 line is not accessible. Bus Connections available: M1, M2, M3, M14A and M14D make stops in the immediate vicinity of Union Square Park.
Parade Accommodations
The day of the parade there will be a limited number of tactile maps available at the Information Booth at Madison Square Park. There will be ASL interpretation, an Induction Loop area as well as Communication Access Realtime Translation (C.A.R.T.) at Union Square Park for all announcements and performances that will be on stage. In addition, MOPS & Parade organizers will be offering audio description via headsets that will be distributed in front of the performance stage. If you or someone you know are attending and wish to request audio description, please respond to this email.
Heat
In order to prepare for the heat that day MOPD & the Parade Committee are taking every precaution possible to try and keep parade participants cool. There will be tents over much of the music festival area as well as over each information booth. In addition, all attendees will have access to the already shaded park area where there will be children and family-themed activities taking place. There will have accessible water stations available for individuals to fill up water bottles or to drink from directly at Union Square Park.
Tips for marching in the parade:
- Dress appropriately and come prepared for the weather that day. It will most likely be high temperatures that call for shorts, skirts, hats, umbrellas and sunblock.
- Stay hydrated, bring a container for water. There will be an accessible water fountain at Union Square Park.
Final Reminders
- Please keep the parade moving and do not stop moving for photos, conversation or any other reason unless directed. There are thousands of people behind you that will need to stop as well.
- There will be several photographers/videographers from the Mayor’s Office and other news outlets photographing the parade. By being present in the parade, you are granting your consent that photographs, video and/or voice recordings, and/or your biographical information can be used for print, television, radio, website and social media postings for the purposes of promoting the 2019 NYC Disability Pride Parade & Festival.
Social Media Shout Outs
Finally, we want to share the 2019 NYC Disability Pride Parade with the world, in order to do that we need your help. On the day of the parade, please post any photos or videos of the parade with the hashtag #DisabilityPrideNYC , #unitedspinal, #nycspinal, #RollingRevolution
For any additional questions please send an email to NYC-DisabilityParade@cityhall.nyc.gov .
