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New Yorkers are known for strutting their stuff, but on Saturday, June 14, it’s the pigeons’ turn.
The High Line is hosting Pigeon Fest, an all-day celebration of NYC’s most divisive bird in honor of National Pigeon Appreciation Day. From 12pm to 8pm, the elevated park’s 30th Street section and Spur will transform into a feather-filled playground of art, science, dance and bird-themed hijinks—including what may be the city’s first Pigeon Impersonation Pageant.
Inspired by Iván Argote’s Dinosaur—the giant 17-foot aluminum pigeon sculpture that currently looms above 10th Avenue—the festival will explore the complicated relationship New Yorkers have with their most common avian neighbor. “Love them or hate them, people are fascinated by our feathered friends,” said Alan van Capelle, the High Line’s executive director. “This festival felt like a fitting way to celebrate New Yorkers’ dynamic relationship with art, nature and, most specifically, pigeons.”
Expect pigeon-themed carnival games, family-friendly art workshops, a hands-on Discovery Fair and appearances from more than a dozen urban ecology organizations. But the real showstopper is the 2pm pageant, where contestants will channel their inner city bird and be judged on costume ("plumage"), physicality ("strut") and vocal performance ("sound"). Hosted by NYC legend and costume designer Machine Dazzle, the pageant will also feature a special appearance by Argote himself.
Before the pageant, attendees can warm up with a Zumba-style Pigeon Dance Party at noon or catch Mother Pigeon’s Impeckable Puppet Show at 1pm—a delightful mix of animal rights activism and sing-along storytelling. Later in the day, there’s a panel on building bird-friendly cities (3:30pm), a talk with Argote and High Line Art curator Cecilia Alemani (4:15pm), and a musical finale (5:30–8pm) presented in collaboration with the Birdsong Project.
Whether you’re a lifelong pigeon defender or someone who dodges them on your daily commute, Pigeon Fest promises a new perspective on the birds that have been part of NYC’s ecosystem—and personality—for more than a century.
Full programming can be found at thehighline.org/pigeonfest.