Norwegian tradition and culture were on full display May 18 as the Bay Ridge community celebrated the 71st annual Norwegian Day Parade, commemorating the signing of Norway’s constitution on May 17, 1814.
The pageantry of Nordic pride kicked off at 1:30 p.m. at the corner of 85th Street and Third Avenue, proceeding down the avenue before turning onto Fifth Avenue at Bay Ridge Parkway. The celebration continued along Leif Ericson Park to 67th Street, ending at the reviewing stand between Sixth and Seventh avenues.
Onlookers waved Norwegian and American flags as this year’s parade grand marshals, Victoria Hofmo and Lars Nilsen, marched the route alongside Civic Honorary Marshal Eivind Harum and Church Honorary Marshal Geir Øy. They were joined by a range of groups, including the NYPD and FDNY Viking associations, the Sons of Norway lodges from Washington, D.C., and upstate New York, the Norwegian consul general, marching bands and festive floats.
Hofmo, the civic co-chair of the Norwegian Day Parade, told Brooklyn Paper she was thankful to all the spectators, participants, organizers and supporters who came to Bay Ridge — home to many generations of Norwegians.
“The parade was colorful, jubilant, and a wonderful way to honor the Norwegian legacy of Bay Ridge and beyond,” Hofmo said. “Of course, having the weather on our side also helped. We are so grateful that folks came from the tri-state area to participate, including a SONS of Norway Lodge from northern New York and another from Washington, D.C.”
Parade co-chair Arlene Rutuelo said that participants and spectators travel from Washington and Connecticut to take a walk down memory lane as they return to Bay Ridge for a weekend of festivities celebrating the Norwegian Constitution and Norwegians’ contributions to New York City’s infrastructure.
“I can’t tell you how many people come back every year,” she said. “They come back with more family [and] friends. They make it a weekend trip, and they bring back their memories of their mom and dads that used to take them to the parade 71 years ago.”
Hofmo and Rutuelo also sought to dispel rumors that this year marked the parade’s last hurrah, noting the speculation has been circulating for years. While they acknowledged it has become more challenging to attract new volunteers and raise funds, they said the Norwegian community will continue celebrating its heritage next year.
“We do ask people to realize that we do need help [from] within the community to put [the parade] together,” Rutuelo said. “I have not heard anything other than that there will be another parade next year. There are some people retiring, but that doesn’t mean that the parade will disappear. So we keep going.”
According to parade committee general chair Kenneth Johnson, this year’s event was “very special” as it marked the 200th anniversary of the start of Norwegian immigration aboard the sloop Restauration from Stavanger, Norway.
“Fifty-three Norwegians left their home to seek a better life here in America, and it worked,” Johnson said in a statement on the committee’s website. “Many of them targeted Bay Ridge and the Norwegian Seaman’s church as their destination, many marrying and starting a family. Today, nearly five million Americans proudly claim Norwegian ancestry.”
With reporting by Meaghan McGoldrick O’Neil & Arthur de Gaeta
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