Several UES Streets To Close For German-American Parade This Weekend: What To Know

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Time to break out the lederhosen and brush up on German, because the 69th annual German-American Stueben parade on Fifth Avenue is back on the Upper East Side this Saturday, closing several streets to traffic.

This year's parade starts at East 67th Street and ends at East 86th Street, event organizers say, and kicks off at 12 p.m.

The parade will have thousands of participants and onlookers, live music and floats, organizers say.

The event is organized by the German-American Steuben Parade organization, which has run it since 1956, according to its website. In the parade's first year, it was held in Yorkville, which was then known as Germantown.

To cap off the celebration, there will be a large, ticketed Oktoberfest celebration in Central Park.

This year, the grand marshals of the parade are Jens Hanefeld, Germany's ambassador to the United States, and Norbert R. Wirsching, an international business executive and entrepreneur.

The parade will also be led by this year's Miss German-America: Katja Rabus, a 23-year-old from Lynbrook, NY.

To watch the parade in person, anywhere along the route is fair game. Or watch online here.

Road Closures

• Main Route: Fifth Avenue from 67th Street to 86th Street
• Formation & Dispersal Areas: Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue from 86th to 88th Street
• Other Street Closures:
  • Madison Avenue from 77th to 78th Street
  • Fifth Avenue between 79th–80th Streets and 85th–86th Streets

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.