Brooklyn Three Kings Day parade celebrates 27th year in Williamsburg
Culture was on full display throughout the parade path on Graham Avenue from Meeker Avenue to Flushing Avenue - especially Puerto Rican pride.
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The Brooklyn Three Kings Day Parade, an annual staple in the streets of Williamsburg, marked 27 years on Sunday.
"It's something we do in order for the children to know our traditions," said Parade President Radames Millan - a thought appreciated by many in attendance.
That included Red Hook's Margartia Crespo.
"I will never stop coming to this parade. It's so integrated into who I am - my identity, my culture," she told News 12.
Culture was on full display throughout the parade path on Graham Avenue from Meeker Avenue to Flushing Avenue - especially Puerto Rican pride. Performer Virginia Mendoza said what makes the day so special is how many different nationalities are actually represented.
"Even though we do have different traditions, different customs, different celebrations, it makes it feel very at home knowing that one block or one community can celebrate one parade as one and as united," Mendoza said.
"The sameness in this one event - it's epic," Crespo added.
As part of the united community theme, this year's parade was dedicated to the NYPD's 90th Precinct. Patrol Borough Brooklyn North Commanding Officer Assistant Chief Scott Henderson served as Grand Marshall, and Community Affairs Detective Kenneth Melendez served as Padrino, or Godfather in Spanish.
Melendez called it an honor.
"I grew up basically around here, I used to walk down Graham Avenue, so to see this come to life with me as a police officer, and sharing the culture of the Three Kings parade, oh, it means the world," he said.
The parade was originally scheduled for last weekend, which is when Three Kings Day was actually celebrated, but was postponed because of the weather. Even though Sunday was still cold, windy and had some snow, Crespo and Mendoza both said nothing was going to stop them from celebrating, and that even in the cold, they still had fun.
During a ceremony at the end of the route, the NYPD announced on stage that permits for next year's parade were already approved, ensuring that it will be back for a 28th year.
