Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday announced Hometown Heroes, a ticker tape parade celebrating the Summer of New York City, thanking essential workers who uplifted New Yorkers through the COVID-19 pandemic.
By David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
The parade takes place at 11:00 A.M. on July 7, 2021. It begins near Battery Park and travels along the Canyon of Heroes.
At the end, a ceremony is planned in City Hall Park.
“We can never thank our essential workers enough for all they’ve done for this city. But we can celebrate their heroism in our streets – and put on a safe, dynamic, unforgettable parade to show our appreciation,” said de Blasio.
“Thanks to these essential workers, we’ve fought back COVID-19, and we’re on our way to building a recovery for all of us. I can’t wait to march alongside them.”

Coler Specialty Hospital personnel stepped outside for a community salute in May, last year.
About the Hometime Heroes Ticker Tape Parade
The parade features a variety of floats, each representing a group of essential workers who served this city heroically throughout the pandemic. Represented groups will include:
- Advocacy organizations
- City workers
- Educators
- Emergency food providers
- Faith leaders
- First responders
- Healthcare workers
- Hospitality and buildings workers
- Retail and bodega workers
- Social service and settlement house workers
- Transportation workers
- Utilities workers
“During one of the city’s darkest moments, our essential workers sacrificed their own health and time with family to serve all New Yorkers. Now that our city has reopened, it’s fitting to honor these heroes with a New York-style celebration. Our city is on the path to recovery because of their work and it’s time to clap for them in-person as they march the Canyon of Heroes,” said Speaker Corey Johnson.
“New York’s essential workers more than deserve to be honored with a ticker tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes,” added US Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, “I look forward to celebrating and thanking the incredible New Yorkers who kept this city going throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The most recent parade was in 2015, honoring the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. In 2012, New York celebrated the Super Bowl Champion Giants, but Yankee fans have to go back all the way to 2009.
Take a look at the Downtown Alliance’s History of New York Ticker Tape Parades.
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