The Romanian Day Festival in New York City on Broadway is a Romanian cultural festival. It has been held every year since 1999 on the first Saturday of May to commemorate Romanian immigration to the United States. The occasion draws together the almost 200,000 Romanians living in New York City. The Romanian community is one of only seven immigrant communities in New York that has Broadway closed for an ethnic festival.
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Romanian Day Festival - website
MIC & Associates and the largest Romanian-American weekly, ZIUA USA, organize Romania Day Festival on Broadway, an event that brings together Romanians from North America and from all over the world. The Festival takes place in the Lower Manhattan Financial District, and is attended by people from the New York metropolitan region, tourists, businessmen, leaders of the Romanian-American community, church officials, and other dignitaries.
During the event, the financial heart of the City of New York, from Wall Street to Fulton and Broad Street celebrates the best of Romanian culture, history and traditions. The President of Romania, Mr. Traian Basescu, has been invited and is expected to attend the Festival. Representatives of American government and of New York, together with Romanian counterparts, participate in the opening ceremonies of the festival. Numerous Romanian and American organizations present and promote their products and services to all those in attendance. Traditional Romanian food and drinks are served, while folk art is exhibited. Artists and renowned musicians perform live for the audience, the largest gathering of Romanians outside the country's borders. The Festival culminates with a dinner gala for the sponsors.
The Festival was celebrated for the first time in April 2000 by Stefan Minovici, founder and president of MIC & Associates, a Wall Street business consulting firm. Since then, the Festival has become a tradition and has continued to grow each year. It has evolved from a local two-block street fair, to an international event that is broadcasted live to over 10 million people world-wide.
The guest of honor during the first edition of Romania Day Festival were Their Majesties King Michael and Queen Ana of Romania and the Royal Family. Many celebrities, diplomats and dignitaries, politicians, and Romanian and American businessmen took part in the event: sports celebrities Ilie Năstase and Dumitru Haradau, Romanian diplomats and politicians Sorin Ducaru, Ion Gorita, Mircea Geoana, former Ambassador of Romania to Washington, DC, and former Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Linda Grass, representative of New York Mayor Giuliani, and others.
Some of the top dignitaries who attended the second edition of the Romanian Day Festival include: Emil Constantinescu, former President of Romania, Dan Matei Agaton, Romanian Minister of Tourism, Mugur Isarescu , Governor of Romania’s National Bank, and Sorin Ducaru, Ambassador of Romania to Washington, DC.
The third edition of the Romania Day Festival took place on Water Street, and was honored by the presence of Ion Iliescu, President of Romania, Daniela Bartos, Romanian Minister of Health, Ecaterina Andronescu, Romanian Minister of Education, Sorin Ducaru and Alexandru Niculescu, the Ambassadors of Romania to Washington, DC, and the United Nations, respectively. Romania’s number one sports figure, Gheorghe Hagi, and two well known Romanian pop groups contributed to the success of the event.
Many personalities attended the fourth edition Romanian Day Festival in 2003. They are: Simona Miculescu, Senior Presidential Adviser, Dan Matei Agaton, Romanian Minister of Tourism, and Sorin Ducaru, Ambassador of Romania to Washington, DC.
The fifth edition of the Romania Day Festival brought the first live TV coverage of such an event from Romanian Diaspora. The live coverage was possible due to a partnership with the Romanian National Television - TVR. Among the Romanian stars participating were Monica Anghel, Nicola and her band, and the renowned pan flutist Nicolae Voiculet.
At the 2005 edition, the live TV transmission was extended to four continents. Singers Andra, Nicola and George Rotaru, together with famous dancing folk group Banatul, entertained the audience for over eight hours. Sorin Ducaru, Ambassador of Romania to Washington, DC, and Mihnea Motoc, Ambassador of Romania to the United Nations, participated in this event together with Mihai Naumescu, Romanian State Secretary, and Linda Grass, New York Mayor Bloomberg’s representative.
At the seventh edition, the famous Romanian pop band Akcent, singers Nicola and George Rotaru, together with popular dancing folk group Banatul, entertained the audience. Sorin Ducaru, Ambassador of Romania to Washington, DC, and Mihnea Motoc, Ambassador of Romania to the United Nations, participated in this event together with Gheorghe Barbu, Romanian Secretary of Labor, the Honorable Nino Pavoni, General Consul of Romania in New York, and Mayor Bloomberg’s representatives Terry Jackson and Elizabeth Daly.
The eight edition of the Romania Day Festival in New York took place on Saturday, May 5. Just as it had for 7 years in a row, the Financial Center of the world vibrated with sounds and lyrics of the Romanian music and language for a day. A display of traditional Romanian crafts, traditional music, national costumes, ethnic foods, and pop music brought together over 25,000 participants, from our Diaspora, their American friends alike and tourists from all over the world. Celebrities from back home as well as renowned artists of the Romanian-American community took turns and captivated the broad audience from the large stage especially set up for the event. Among the ones entertaining the public were: De La Vegas duet (Romania), folk music singer Lia Lungu (USA), Sanziana & Ani Stanciu (USA), and the band INDIGGO. The festival, hosted by TV personalities Mihaela Craciun and Cosmin Chivu, was aired live, via satellite to an audience of millions from Australia to Canada.
The ninth edition of the Festival was made possible with financial support from the Romanian Ministers of Small and Medium Enterprises, Commerce, Tourism and Liberal Professions, the National Tourism Office of Romania, and with the New York assistance of Mr. Simion Alb.
The festival took place on the Bowling Green Esplanade outside the Museum of the American Indians, and benefited by the presence of two important figures of Romanian Television and Fashion scene: Mihaela Radulescu and Catalin Botezatu. The event was recorded and broadcast during the Romanian TV show hosted by Mihaela Radulescu. Catalin Botezatu charmed the audience with two exceptional fashion collections, which later in the day were privately presented to big American luxury goods companies. Many Romanian artists performed during the show: Oana Zavoranu, at the first public appearance after her first music album, Andreea Antonescu, Camelia Ciobanu, Lia Lungu, Sanziana & Ani Stanciu, Marisena Zamfir and the dancing folk group Banatul.
The event was honored by the presence of Adrian Vierita, the Ambassador of Romania to Washington, DC, the Honorable Pietro Pavoni, General Consul of Romania in New York, Terry Jackson, Director of International Affairs Division City of New York, and a group of Romanian and American businessmen.
The anniversary edition of the Romania Day Festival was the culmination of a week dedicated to the Romanian industry, which was attended by the prominent Romanian financial institutions, from as wide-ranging fields as defense, energy and infrastructure, as well as executives from big American companies and investment funds. The Guests of Honor for this series of events were: Rudolph Giuliani, former Mayor of New York, and Professor Robert Engle, Laureate of the Nobel Prize for Economics, on the American side, and General Constantin Degeratu, Presidential Advisor for National Security and Defense, and Price Paul of Romania and Princess Lia, on the Romanian side.
The Romania Broadway Festival was attended by over 20,000 people, who came to watch the 7-hour long concert given by Romanian artists, including George Rotaru, Lia Lungu, Cristina Turcu, Brandusa Covalciuc, and the group “Romanasul”.