NYC Labor Day Parade 2024: Street closures guide

Labor Day weekend travelers hit the road

The unofficial end of summer is here and most people are opting to hop in their car and drive rather than taking a plane to get away this Labor Day weekend. FOX 5 NY's Antwan Lewis has the story.

NEW YORK - The New York City Labor Day Parade is Saturday.

This year's theme is "All Workers, Many Voices, One Fight," according to the event's website, highlighting the advocacy for fair treatment.

The parade will start at 44th Street and Fifth Avenue at 10 a.m. before heading north to the Grandstand at 64th Street.

UNITED STATES -September 9: Participants in the Labor Day Parade march up Fifth Ave. Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023 in Manhattan, New York. (Photo by Barry Williams for NY Daily News via Getty Images)

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Here's everything you need to know about the parade including routes and streets to avoid.

Labor Day meaning: When did it become a federal holiday?

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 9: New York Governor Kathy Hochul prepares to march in the annual New York City Labor Day parade, in which organized labor marches up Fifth Avenue in celebration of Labor Day, September 9, 2023 in New York City, New Yor

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Even before it was designated as a federal holiday, Labor Day was recognized by labor activists and in individual states, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

New York was the first state to introduce a bill making Labor Day a federally recognized holiday, but Oregon beat them to it by passing the first law.

It’s unclear who first proposed the holiday for workers, but there are two people who are recognized as spearheading the initiative.

First Labor Day

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 9: Scenes from the annual New York City Labor Day parade and march, in which organized labor marches up Fifth Avenue in celebration of Labor Day several days earlier, September 9, 2023 in New York City, New York. (Photo

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The very first official Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City.

The Central Labor Union organized it and on June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making Labor Day a federal holiday.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: Organized labor gathers to march in the annual Labor Day Parade up 5th Avenue on September 10, 2022 in midtown New York City, New York. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

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