Ragamuffin Day was once a citywide New York custom where kids dressed up in oversized clothes and asked for treats, and Bay Ridge is the neighborhood that kept it alive. In 1972 the New York Times called it the largest ragamuffin parade in the country, with about 6,000 children marching before 35,000 spectators. For its 60th anniversary, bring a homemade costume and let your kids march in a piece of old New York.
What to expect
Costumed kids line up near 76th Street and parade down Third Avenue through the heart of Bay Ridge while families cheer from the sidewalks. The parade honors Our Lady of Angels Parish, where it began, and the avenue fills with neighbors, grandparents and generations of former marchers watching the next crop of ragamuffins go by.
Good to know
- Homemade costumes are the spirit of the day.
- The R train to 77th St or 86th St drops you along the route.
- Grab a curbside spot on Third Avenue early; sidewalks fill up.
- Bay Ridge's Third Avenue restaurants make it easy to turn the parade into lunch.
- Check the parade's social accounts for registration details before you go.
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Common questions
What is a ragamuffin parade?
It revives a 19th-century New York custom where children dressed in ragged, oversized clothes and went door to door for treats; Bay Ridge turned it into a costume parade.
Can my child march?
The parade is built around costumed children marching; check the organizer's site and social channels for this year's registration details.
Where is the route?
Along Third Avenue in Bay Ridge, starting around 76th Street.
