Mamdani is first NYC mayor to march in local Mexican Independence Day parade

Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined Sunset Park’s Mexican Independence Day parade on Fifth Avenue on Sunday, becoming the first sitting New York City mayor to march in the neighborhood’s annual celebration. Wearing a tricolor grand marshal sash and carrying a small Mexican flag, Mamdani walked with organizers, dancers and families as spectators chanted in Spanish, “Zohran, brother, you’re Mexican now!”

The parade, marking its 32nd edition, began around 2 p.m. near 59th Street and Fifth Avenue, in front of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and continued for more than an hour and a half. Fifth Avenue was dressed in green, white and red, with Mexican flags, mariachi music, folkloric dance and traditional clothing. Sunset Park has a long-established Mexican community, including many families with roots in Puebla.

For Diego Medina, who is from Mexico and lives in Brooklyn, the mayor’s appearance carried broader significance. His 16-year-old daughter, Micaela Medina Galicia, was the parade’s official social-media promoter.

“This is very important for the Mexican community and the entire city,” Medina told the Sunset Post. “Not only because of the current political climate, but because of the presence, growth and participation of our community within the larger New York City community, finally recognized.”

Medina also pointed to the parade’s role for younger Mexican Americans. “It is important to highlight the resilience of Sunset Park’s Mexican-American community,” he said. “The parade has been designed to help young Mexican Americans feel proud of their roots and traditions, helping them strengthen their identity.” He added that cultural promoters and community organizers have brought Gen Z into the event as both participants and spectators.

Mamdani later wrote on social media that he was proud to be the first New York City mayor to march in the Sunset Park parade. He described Mexico’s fight for independence as “the triumph of a people determined to shape their own future” and said Mexican New Yorkers are at the heart of the city.

The celebration also brought business to the area, where vendors sold souvenirs, clothing, food and traditional Mexican drinks.

“Today people go out into the street without fear,” Yolanda, a vendor selling flags along the route, told the Sunset Post.

At Tacos El Brother 3, located at 5511 Fifth Ave., Rosa and a coworker said restaurants along the route were especially busy during the parade. They also welcomed the mayor’s appearance. “Politicians always say they’re coming,” they said, “but sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t.”

The parade featured several dance groups, including Brooklyn’s Ballet Quetzalcóatl, Ballet Espíritu de México and Ballet Estampas Folklóricas Mexicanas.

For Jose, a neighborhood resident originally from Mexico, the parade was a way to connect with his culture. Pointing to one group, he said, “Those devils are from the coast. They represent resistance. It is called the Dance of the Devils, and it has African heritage.”

Across several blocks of Fifth Avenue, the parade brought together music, costumes, masks, flags and dances from different regions of Mexico, as well as a historic visit from the mayor.