By Nicole Bode and Jon Reznick
DNAinfo.com New York Staff
MIDTOWN — Sixth Avenue was filled with fans clad in red white and blue flags and plenty of Dominican pride Sunday as the annual Dominican Day parade rolled through Manhattan.
More than a half million attendees were expected to turn out to watch the parade, which kicked off at noon at 36th Street and rolled up Sixth Avenue to 52nd Street.
"Today is a very special day, today's the day that all New Yorkers are of Domincan ancestry," State Senator Adriano Espaillat told reporters at Sunday morning's pre-parade breakfast in Inwood.
The parade featured a host of colorful floats, as well as dance groups and marchers from New York and beyond.
"The dancers are especially good," said paradegoer Charlie Marcos, 28, of the Bronx, who enjoyed performances from salsa, merengue and bachata groups.
Aurelia, who lives on the Upper East Side and declined to give her last name, brought her mom and daughter Olivia to this year's parade because, "I want to teach her about what it means to be Dominican."
It also drew the city's political bigwigs, from Mayor Michael Bloomberg to City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who represents upper Manhattan.
The festivities were expected to close off Sixth Avenue through Sunday evening, and were expected to re-route several bus lines, according to the MTA.
