Every year on Easter Sunday, 5th Avenue in Manhattan comes alive, packed for the annual Easter Bonnet Parade, a celebration featuring elaborative colorful costumes to celebrate Easter and welcome spring to the boroughs in typical over-the-top New York-style.
In addition to celebrations on the streets, roughly 2,000 churches around the city hold Easter Sunday services, the most famous of them all being at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
But this year, with COVID-19 ravaging New York, the now epicenter of the world’s coronavirus outbreak, there was no parade, no services, nothing that would reflect a celebration.
This is Easter Sunday in New York City during COVID-19.
A person wearing a protective suit walks down Park Avenue and past Christ Church, April 12, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge
A person wearing bunny ears passes by a closed down church, April 12, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge
A man wearing a crown of thorns and various religious signifiers near Radio City Music Hall, April 12, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge
A person stands outside a closed St. Patrick’s Cathedral, April 12, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hegge.
Flowers sit outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral, April 12, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge
A sign outside St. Bart’s Church offers information regarding livestream services, April 12, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge
A virtually empty 5th Avenue where the annual NYC Easter Bonnet Parade was to take place, April 12, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge
