The Columbus Citizens Foundation has announced Massimo Ferragamo, Chairman of Ferragamo USA, has been named Grand Marshal of the 75th Annual Columbus Day Parade in New York City. Mr. Ferragamo is a proud Italian, who divides his time between Italy and the USA and is deeply involved in the Ferragamo business started by his father in California in the 1920s.
The annual Columbus Day Parade, the largest celebration of Italian American heritage and culture in the United States, will take place on Monday, October 14, at 11:30 am. As Grand Marshal, Mr. Ferragamo will lead dozens of marching bands and floats and over 100 marching groups up the Fifth Avenue Parade route, from 44th Street to 72nd Street.
“I am honored and pleased to join the ranks of distinguished Italians and Italian Americans who have served in this incredibly special role before me,” Mr. Ferragamo said. “The special relationship between Italy and the United States has been at the core of the Ferragamo business since its inception and I’m so very proud to accept this honor, also in memory of my parents, Salvatore and Wanda, who loved the USA as if it were their second home country. It is wonderful to be able to celebrate all the creativity and blessings that come with our two great countries working together. My family and I are so excited to march up Fifth Avenue on Columbus Day.”
The tradition of the Columbus Day Parade began 75 years ago, when Generoso Pope led a group of Italian Americans from East Harlem to Columbus Circle in 1929.
