Every dog owner in New York knows the drill at Bryant Park: leash on, paws on the path, and absolutely no setting a single toe on that pristine lawn.
But for one Saturday in September, all of that gets thrown out the window, and it becomes the center of NYC’s dog universe for one afternoon.
Paws on Parade returns to Bryant Park on Saturday, September 19th from noon to 5pm, marking the fourth year the AKC Museum of the Dog has taken over the park’s most sacred patch of grass for an afternoon built entirely around good dogs and the humans who love them!
This year’s Grand Marshal is Elias Weiss Friedman, better known as The Dogist, the photographer and New York Times bestselling author who has spent over a decade turning strangers’ dogs into internet icons.
Here are all the details you need to know about this year’s festivities and how to start planning now.
Meet this year’s Grand Marshal
If you’ve spent any time on dog Instagram, you already know Elias Weiss Friedman’s work even if you don’t know his name.
He’s the guy behind The Dogist, the street-style photography project that’s documented more than 50,000 dogs and built a following that would make most celebrities jealous.
He’s also written multiple bestsellers, including This Dog Will Change Your Life, which hit number two on the New York Times list last year, and he hosts a talk show that sends celebrities wandering New York City in search of its most photogenic pups.
This year, Friedman trades his camera for a leash of leadership, marching dogs and their owners around the Bryant Park lawn in a procession that’s become the unofficial kickoff to fall for the city’s dog community.
What actually happens on parade day
The parade itself is the headline, but Paws on Parade stretches into a full afternoon festival once the marching wraps. Expect:
- A leashed procession around the park lawn led by Friedman, open to registered dogs and their people
- Food and drink vendors scattered around the park for the humans who worked up an appetite watching
- Art workshops for anyone who wants to commemorate the day with something more permanent than a phone photo
- Trick training demonstrations from professionals who make “sit” look easy and “shake” look like a party trick
Registration is required for dogs joining the actual parade march, and spots tend to fill up fast once word gets out, so anyone serious about walking their pup down that lawn should register on Eventbrite sooner rather than later.
The event itself is free and open to everyone, marching dog or not!
The real bonus: grass access all fall
Here’s the part that makes this event bigger than just one Saturday afternoon.
Starting on parade day, Bryant Park lifts its famous no-dogs-on-the-lawn rule for the rest of the season, meaning leashed dogs get to lounge, sprawl, and exist on that grass for the remainder of summer’s final stretch.
Anyone who has ever gotten side-eyed by a park attendant for letting their dog step one paw off the path knows exactly how big a deal this is!
Where and when to show up
š¾ Paws on Parade
šļø Saturday, September 19th
ā° 12 – 5 pm
š Bryant Park, Midtown Manhattan