2021 Steuben Parade Is Back In NYC: How, Where To Watch

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Year after year, the German-American Steuben Parade is an unlikely hit in New York City, bringing lively costumes, music and spectators to Fifth Avenue.

After going virtual last year due to the pandemic, the parade — which honors a Prussian general who helped the U.S. win the Revolutionary War — will be held again Saturday, Sept. 18.

Here's everything to know.

When and where

The events begin with a 9 a.m. mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. The parade itself kicks off at noon at Fifth Avenue and East 68th Street. It will proceed up the avenue to East 86th Street — the Yorkville thoroughfare once known as the "German Boulevard" for its proliferation of German shops and biergartens.

How can I watch?

Tickets to the Fifth Avenue grandstand can be purchased online and picked up on Saturday at East 78th Street and Fifth Avenue. People can also catch a glimpse from other vantages— the Metropolitan Museum steps, perhaps — as the colorful crowd marches uptown.

If you can't go in person, the parade will also be streamed on the organizers' website.

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Will any street closures be in effect?

Yes. Starting at midnight Saturday, Fifth Avenue will be closed to parking between East 66th and 96th streets, as well as some side streets. Cars will be towed and relocated, the NYPD said.

Will there be an Oktoberfest in Central Park this year?

Unfortunately not, due to COVID-19 restrictions.

But the parade organizers are encouraging attendees to celebrate after the festivities at local bars and restaurants — and they've even provided a helpful list of sponsor restaurants to patronize. They include Heidelberg in Yorkville, Reichenbach Hall in Midtown, Gottscher Hall in Ridgewood, Queens — which will also be hosting music on Saturday — and many others.

Full coverage: Popular Steuben Parade Returning To UES After Virtual Year