The first Labor Day parade in the U.S. took place in New York City on September 5, 1882. Union leaders and thousands of working people gathered to advocate for labor goals such as an eight-hour workday and higher pay.
By 1884, Labor Day had become a municipal holiday in certain towns. States like New York, New Jersey, Colorado and Oregon were the first to establish it as a state-wide holiday. Then, in 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a bill into law that made Labor Day a national holiday.
Since the first Labor Day parade, cities and towns across the country have developed meaningful traditions. Here are a few that honor the holiday’s labor origins.
New York City, NY
By the 1880s, immigrants from around the world had come to work in New York’s factories and textile mills, where they were often subjected to low wages, long hours and dangerous conditions. In 1882, the Central Labor Union of New York, Brooklyn and Jersey City (CLU) organized the first Labor Day parade to advocate for the rights of these workers. The original procession included bricklayers, jewelers, dressmakers and many more who marched from City Hall in lower Manhattan to a park uptown.
As the site of the first Labor Day, New York City still hosts one of the largest parades in the U.S. While the city’s first parade featured between 10,000 to 20,000 workers, 2022’s showing reached around 80,000 marchers representing over 200 unions, numerous trades and constituency groups.
Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphians have a long history of celebrating Labor Day with parades, fireworks and trips to the Jersey Shore. The city also hosts the popular Made in America Festival, which draws tens of thousands of guests for performers like Cardi B, Lizzo and Travis Scott. (The festival is currently on hold for 2024.)
Labor Day in Philly is also an important time to recognize the city’s labor history. The Annual Tri-State Labor Day Parade and Family Festival is organized by the AFL-CIO. The parade starts at the Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 Union Hall and features representatives from the Sheet Metal Workers, United Food and Commercial Workers, Stagehands and more. In 2023, President Biden kicked off the parade with a speech on the power of unions.
Park City, UT
The mountain town of Park City, UT honors its mining heritage with a Miners Day celebration on Labor Day. Miners Day traces its roots back to 1896, and includes a fun run, pancake breakfast, live music and games. One of the most popular activities is the mucking and drilling competition where contestants attempt to use the machinery of old-time miners.
Today, Park City is known for its golf resorts, so Miners Day also includes the annual “Running of the Balls,” a race of 15,000 golf balls down Main Street. The golf balls roll down a track the length of three city blocks and the first ones in the landing chute win prizes. Patrons can buy balls through donation, with all proceeds benefiting the Park City Rotary Club and other local nonprofits.
McCalla, AL
Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park in Alabama hosts a Labor Day celebration each year. This 1,500-acre state park preserves a 19th-century iron-making complex with massive stone furnaces, where visitors can learn about Alabama’s industrial history. From spring through fall, the park’s artisans and craftsmen demonstrate their trades. Visitors can explore craft shops in restored pioneer cabins and browse the on-site farm, cotton gin and working gristmill.
In addition to enjoying the park’s history and natural beauty, contestants can join in Alabama’s largest moon pie eating competition for the chance to win cash prizes. Across the park, the United Mine Workers host their annual Birmingham District Labor Day celebration, which features a barbecue and musical performances.
Pioche, NV
A former mining community, Pioche, NV once had a reputation as the toughest town in the Old West. Today, it hosts a Labor Day celebration (in its 119th year) that quadruples the town’s population for the long weekend. Visitors can enjoy tournaments, trap shooting, a cake walk and Pioche’s famous lawn mower races. The massive celebration also includes a money scramble, ATV rodeo, street dancing and car shows.
The town hosts popular events focused on its mining past, as well. A mucking competition helps keep historic mining methods alive as contestants compete to see how fast they can shovel broken rocks or ore into an ore cart.
Labor Day traditions around the country – in small towns and big cities alike – help keep the spirit of the holiday alive. These events combine the light-hearted entertainment of barbecues and fireworks with a deeper connection to the union organizers who continuously fight for the rights of workers. If you have chance to visit any of these cities or towns on Labor Day weekend, be sure to take advantage of their unique celebrations.
Michelle Zettergren is President of MagnaCare, a national third-party administrator of Labor and Taft-Hartley Fund health plans. MagnaCare is proud to support its labor partners by participating in New York City’s Labor Day parade.
