The annual ‘Blessing of the Animals’ will take place on Sunday, October 6th from 12:30-3:30pm at The Cathedral of Saint John The Divine (1047 Amsterdam Avenue, at 112th Street). Due to a fire that occurred on April 14th, parts of the beautiful church are closed off and will be not be used during the 2019 St. Francis Day Fair.
So if you attended last year, please note that the traditional St. Francis Day Festal Eucharist and animal procession will not take place (there will, however, be an 11am Eucharist). A full statement about the changes to this year’s event can be found here.
Regardless, if you want to see adorable costumed animals (and people), keep reading.
The afternoon of fun and festivities is in celebration of Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals and the environment.
All attendees, human and animal, are encouraged to dress as their favorite animal in honor of Saint Francis.
There will be activities for kids, a performance by the Mettawee River Dance Theatre, food trucks, pet adoption agencies, and of course the magical animal parade and more.
Also, if you want your pet to be personally blessed, priests will be available to do so.
The Great Animal Costume Parade will begin at 2pm. To be clear, this is a parade with people dressed as animals and animals dressed as .. animals.
Awards will be given out for the following categories:
- Most incredible insect
- Best mythical creature
- Most magnificent mammal
- Best ancient animal
- Most precious peacocke
- Most super ocean dweller
- And most fantastic beast
If you’re interested in attending the 2019 St. Francis Day Fair, check out the official event page here.
And if your pets are Jewish (like my two cats), a Yiddish For Dogs class was recently held in Central Park. The event has already passed, but another one will be coming (you can put your name on the waitlist).
Featured images provided by @prince_in_the_city.
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