7 Lesser-Known NYC Parades To Check Out This Year

New York is a microcosm of the whole world, and on any given day, you can travel the globe by just exploring your own neighborhood. On some days, the people of this bustling metropolis put in extra effort to celebrate different cultures with parades, a treasured New York tradition. Below are some of our favorite parades in NYC, each paired with cannabis for a vivid excursion.

1. German-American Steuben Parade

Baron Friedrich von Steuben was influential in the American Revolutionary War. Born a Prussian wunderkind into a military family, he helped George Washington train the troops of the Continental Army. Today, Steuben is celebrated as an immigrant, and eventual resident New Yorker, with the German-American Steuben Parade along Fifth Avenue. This event also serves as the opener for Oktoberfest season.

To properly evoke the culture of Steueben’s ancestors, beer is an important part of this parade. Grab a non-alcoholic beer and add some of ayrloom’s beverage enhancer drops or keep a can of an ayrloom infused beverage on hand for an especially uplifting event.

2. Haitian Culture Day Parade

Little Haiti directly south of Prospect Park abounds with Caribbean home cooking, music, and traditions. One such tradition is the Haitian Culture Day Parade, which takes place annually on the second Saturday of May to honor Haitian and Caribbean immigrants in the city. Steeped in culture with bold costumes, live musical performances, and eye-catching floats, the parade hosts authentic Haitian food vendors. More festivities await when the parade reaches its end destination at Hillel Plaza.

Bring your most comfortable dancing shoes, your appetite, and a tin of 1906 capsules. You might feel the effects of 1906’s Go tablets in as little as 20 minutes, potentially keeping you energetic and inspired.

3. Queens Pride

Since 1993, Queens has held its own Pride event in June to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and honor Julio Rivera, a late Jackson Heights bartender. His murder was the first legally recognized hate crime in New York City, marking a turning point for LGBTQ+ rights in Queens.

Whereas the NYC Pride parade on the last Sunday of June every year is the largest celebration in the city, Queens Pride Parade and Multicultural Festival in Jackson Heights is less crowded. It usually happens on the first Sunday of June, it often starts near the 90 St-Elmhurst Av 7 stop, and it takes place in the borough that’s the largest transgender hub in the Western hemisphere. Pay homage to Queens at the parade with Fernway’s Space Queen all-in-one vape, a discreet, recyclable option for a balance of calm, happiness, and excitement.

4. St. Pat’s for All

St. Pat’s for All is all about Irish culture and promoting inclusivity. Its roots extend back to 1983, when the Irish Supreme Court ruled homosexuality a crime. In the wake of this marginalizing decision, many LGBTQ+ Irish people moved to the United States. One of them, Brendan Fay, settled in Queens and helped form the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization. This was partially in response to the city’s main Saint Patrick’s Day Parade formerly banning LGBTQ+ people.

Although the main Saint Patrick’s Day Parade began allowing LGBTQ+ people to participate once again in 2016, St. Pat’s for All still takes place in Queens (Sunnyside and Woodside, specifically) in March. It was also officially recognized and lauded by the president of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, in 2025. And in 2026, it’ll get started at noon, at 43rd Street and Skillman Ave in Sunnyside, on Sunday, March 1. In the spirit of green pride, pair St. Pat’s for All with flower by Good Green, a company whose emphasis on community aligns with this parade’s spirit.

5. Tartan Week Parade

Performers travel from the Scottish Highlands and as far as Shanghai to be part of Tartan Week. The first Tartan Day Parade was just a few blocks long, marching from the British Consulate to the United Nations in 1999. This small but mighty celebration, accompanied by two pipe bands, sparked a yearly April celebration for Scottish traditions and festivities.

Tartan is the type of wool cloth used in making kilts, and different tartans traditionally represent different clans and guilds. They vary widely in color, so pairing the Tartan Day Parade (the 2026 date is Saturday, April 11 at 2 p.m.) with especially colorful cannabis edibles makes for excellent travels. Highland Goat’s gummies match sharp hues with solventless, sustainably grown cannabis for a flavorful, balanced experience.

6. Universal Hip Hop Parade

Held in Brooklyn every August, the Universal Hip Hop Parade is the world’s largest celebration of the namesake culture, and it also honors the Jamaican political activist Marcus Garvey. Alongside impressive floats, the parade showcases rappers, break dancers, graffiti artists, and DJs.

The Universal Hip Hop Parade is the brainchild of activists including Jeffery Kazembe Batts, Charles Barron, and Freedom Williams. It honors the arts of Black culture and Garvey’s legacy as someone who leveraged pop culture to empower to Black community. The parade always occurs on the Saturday before his birthday, August 17. It also goes hand in hand with an occasional hit from a Heavy Hitters vape for smooth liftoff.

7. Nigerian Independence Day Parade

Every October, the Nigerian Independence Day Parade takes over Midtown East. It’s one of the biggest African parades in the United States, and it honors October 1, 1960, the day that British colonial rule of Nigeria ended. At this upbeat celebration, you can catch an official flag raising, see Nigerian artists and musicians perform, and taste authentic Nigerian cuisine.

With so much going on, you may need something that’s calming but exciting. The Bettering Company’s fast-acting gummies, which are vegan and made with real fruits, may help you achieve this active zen and sink fully into the festivities.

Pairing cannabis and parades

It’s easy to get lost in parades amid all the communal energy. Cannabis may help if you keep these tips in mind:

Start low and go slow. It’s better to feel like your feet are too firmly planted on the ground than like you’re in the stratosphere. Start with a small cannabis dose, and if your onset time passes without you feeling how you’d like, only then should you consume more.

Keep it discreet. Whether you’re taking part in the parade, playing spectator, or going to afterparties, follow NYC’s laws on where to smoke. In many cases, you can’t visibly consume cannabis, so edibles and vapes make for the ideal travel companion.

Choose the right cannabis cultivar. Parades are full of life, so choose cannabis cultivars (strains) that put some pep in your step. Read the certificate of analysis (COA), which verifies that the product has undergone cannabis lab testing, to identify potentially energizing and uplifting terpenes. Confirm that the THC content is an appropriate amount to get your wheels in the air without soaring too close to the sun.

Explore the world in NYC, starting at The Travel Agency

If you decide to check out any of these unique parades, make The Travel Agency your first stop. With a dispensary location on Fifth Avenue near the Nigerian Independence Day Parade, we’re a reliable home base for exploring the area. Ask our knowledgeable, friendly budtenders what they might recommend ahead of your parade, then head on out and see all the unforgettable sights.