Staten Island's North Shore has one of the oldest continuously Black neighborhoods in New York, and this is the day it puts itself on the street - marching units, cars, community groups and a family-day footprint along Vanderbilt Avenue. It runs in the morning, which makes it the rare borough event you can do and still have the whole rest of the day. If the ferry has only ever taken you as far as the terminal, this is a reason to walk the twenty minutes inland.
What to expect
A closed avenue with a parade element moving along Vanderbilt and a stationary family-day footprint around it. The crowd is overwhelmingly local, lined along the curb rather than packed behind barricades. Programming and vendor tables continue after the marching units pass.
Good to know
- From the St. George ferry terminal, the S74 and S78 buses run toward Stapleton and Vanderbilt Avenue.
- The closure covers Vanderbilt Avenue between Richmond Road, Targee Street and Tompkins Avenue.
- Morning timing means the event is over before most Manhattan plans start.
- Bring cash for any vendor tables along the route.
- Curbside viewing is flat and open rather than barricaded.
- Stapleton's commercial strip on Bay Street is a short walk downhill if you want a sit-down break.
Going? Keep it.
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Common questions
Where does the parade run?
Along Vanderbilt Avenue in Stapleton, between Richmond Road, Targee Street and Tompkins Avenue.
How do I reach it from Manhattan?
Take the Staten Island Ferry to St. George, then a local bus east toward Stapleton and Vanderbilt Avenue.
Is it ticketed?
No admission is listed on the city permit; it is a street parade on a closed public roadway.
