Columbus Day Parade Returns To Little Italy On Monday

CLEVELAND — The Columbus Day Parade will again wind through Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood on Monday.

Last year's parade was canceled due to COVID-19. This year's event promises to make up for lost time, with decorate floats, marching bands, appearances from municipal officials and artifacts, and more.

The parade starts at noon and the route moves down Mayfield and Murray Hill roads.

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A pre-parade mass will be held at Holy Rosary Church starting at 10 a.m. Current forecasts predict Monday will be cloudy, with a high of 83 degrees. There's little chance of rain, so it should be a warm but dry day for a parade.

The Columbus Day Parade is sponsored by the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA).

“Columbus’s journey launched 500 years of immigration to America, attracting peoples from throughout the world seeking a better life for their families — this is the spirit we champion and are fighting to preserve, and this is what the Columbus’ parades and statues stand for,” said ISDA National President and Greater Cleveland Columbus Day Chairman Basil M. Russo.

Columbus Day celebrations have come under attack nationally as perceptions of the famous explorer have shifted. Many now call for the day to be celebrated as Indigenous Peoples Day. Russo and others have argued Columbus represents an immigrant spirit of hope and entrepreneurship, he told News 5 in 2020.