Event Schedule 📅
Gather at The Abbey
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Arrive early, meet your neighbors, show off your hat, and soak in the festive atmosphere in the Abbey courtyard. The party starts the moment you walk in!
Parade Launch!
3:00 PM
The parade begins from The Abbey at 3 PM. We will samba and bunny hop onto Monroe Street and head toward 5th Avenue; south to Adams, take Adams to 3rd Avenue, then north back to The Abbey. The parade will last approximately 45 minutes.
Jazz & Games
4:00 PM onward
Return to The Abbey for live jazz with the Prince Shell 10-Piece Orchestra in the Ballroom, community games, the Easter Egg Hunt, Liberty Wildlife birds, and more!
⚠️ Hats are MANDATORY! ⚠️
Everyone must wear a hat to participate in the parade!
The Parade Route 🗺️
Our Route
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1
Start: The Abbey on Monroe St.
March toward 5th Avenue
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2
Head South on 5th Avenue
Down to Adams Street
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3
Head East on Adams Street
To 3rd Avenue
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4
Head North on 3rd Avenue
Back to The Abbey
Motorcade
A motorcade will lead the parade and another will bring up the rear — safe, festive, and official!
Street Closure
Monroe Street in front of The Abbey will be closed all afternoon.
Parade Route Map
Getting to The Abbey 🗺️
It's Easter Sunday — plan ahead and skip the parking stress!
🌟 Best advice: Leave the car at home. Light Rail and rideshare make it easy and fun!
Getting Here — Your Options
Valley Metro Light Rail
The easiest way to get downtown on a busy Sunday. Take the light rail to Washington/Central Ave station — just a short walk to The Abbey on Monroe. No parking, no traffic, no stress. Trains run all day!
Uber · Lyft · Waymo
Drop off right at the door — no parking, no walking. Request pickup at The Abbey, 302 E Monroe St, Phoenix. Waymo self-driving cars are also available in the area for a one-of-a-kind arrival!
Bike or Walk
If you live nearby, biking or walking is a perfect way to arrive in the Easter parade spirit. Grid Bike Share stations are available throughout downtown. Lock up at The Abbey and join the fun!
Drive & Park
Driving? Arrive by 1:30 PM to find street parking — it's free on Sundays! Monroe Street in front of The Abbey will be closed, so approach from 2nd or 3rd Ave. City parking garages are also available nearby.
Parking Heads-Up
Street parking in Downtown Phoenix is free on Sundays. Monroe Street directly in front of The Abbey will be closed during the parade, so plan to park on nearby streets or in a city garage. Arrive early — it fills up fast!
The Abbey · 302 E Monroe St, Phoenix
Downtown Phoenix · Rain or shine!
We Honor 🌟
Celebrating community champions who inspire us
Estelle Speros MacDonald
Owner of Estelle’s Bistro, whose talent and energy helped many jazz musicians and singers grow. She enlivened downtown Phoenix during the Goddard Mayoral era, making Estelle’s Bistro a gathering place for the downtown crowd with sparkle, entertainment, and all locally grown creativity. Her legacy of inspiration and joy continues to shine.
Jana Bommersbach
The Belle of Hoover Street, whose esprit de corps and journalism were deeply loved. An Easter Parade/Matzo Ball aficionado, respected voice of Central Phoenix life for decades, and author of The Trunk Murderess. Her contributions to community storytelling and cultural celebration inspire us all.
We miss and are thankful for them — their legacy lives on in every celebration! 💖
Live Music 🎷
An unforgettable performance in the Abbey Ballroom after the Parade
The Prince Shell 10-Piece Orchestra
Conducted by Ted Goddard
Prince Shell (born in Lott, Texas 1928, died Scottsdale 2007) "was a mentor and inspiration to generations of Arizona musicians. He is Arizona's link to the bebop era and Chicago jazz tradition" — Allan Chase, dean of faculty at the New England Conservatory of Music.
Shell's family moved to Chicago in his senior year of high school, where he learned to play the sax and trombone. He arrived in Phoenix in 1949 and joined the Air Force in 1955, where he became chief arranger for the Air Force Dance Band. He shared the bill with and wrote arrangements for Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, the Four Tops, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
In Phoenix, Shell performed with Dave Cook's Vanguard and Francine Reed and Monopoly. In June 1982, NYC-based music critic Suzanne McElfresh wrote in the Phoenix New Times: "Shell's arrangements are a grandiose yet natural extension of his piano style — the same wit, creativity, intelligence, respect, beauty and spontaneity. His style is understated, more like Thelonious Monk."
Prince Shell brought a classy, cerebral sense of jazz to Estelle's Bistro. Five days a week, he played the piano at cocktail hours.
We are thrilled to present Ted Goddard's ten-piece band playing Prince Shell's arrangements in the Abbey Ballroom. We are deeply grateful to Cindy Baker, President of Local No. 586 AFM, for connecting us to this legacy — and to the musicians who are generously giving their Easter Sunday afternoon to perform for us.
The instrumental music for this occasion is made possible in part by funds supplied by the Recording Companies of the United States and Canada through the Music Performance Trust Funds, a public service organization created under agreements with the American Federation of Musicians. The grant for this performance was obtained with the cooperation of Local No. 586 AFM.
About the Event 📖
What is the Easter Parade / Matzo Ball?
A joyful celebration that brings together diverse cultural traditions in a spectacular display of creativity, community, and connection. This not-necessarily-annual event blends the festive spirit of Easter with Jewish cultural traditions, creating a unique and inclusive celebration.
At its heart, the parade is about expression, transformation, and coming together as a community. Through the art of hat-making and the joy of parade, we celebrate individuality while building connections that strengthen our community bonds.
About The Abbey
The Abbey on Monroe Street in Downtown Phoenix serves as the heart of our celebration. This historic venue provides the perfect backdrop for our parade, embodying the spirit of community gathering and cultural celebration.
As a space dedicated to bringing people together, The Abbey has become synonymous with creativity, inclusion, and the vibrant energy that defines our event.
Creative Expression
Transform yourself through the art of millinery and costume
Community Building
Connect with neighbors and make lasting friendships
Cultural Celebration
Honor diverse traditions in a spirit of joy and unity
Activities & Transformation 🎨
Be the person you've always wanted to be!
✨ Transform Yourself ✨
This is your chance to reinvent, reimagine, and reveal the person you've always wanted to be. Through art, costume, and creativity, step into a new version of yourself!
Update Your Look
Experiment with new styles, colors, and expressions. This is your moment to try something bold, different, and uniquely YOU!
Create Skull Sculpture
Engage in artistic skull decoration - a celebration of life, art, and cultural tradition. Create your own unique piece!
Design Your Hat
Your hat is your crown! Make it magnificent, make it meaningful, make it unmistakably yours. Remember: hats are MANDATORY!
Express Yourself
This parade celebrates creative freedom. Wear what makes you feel amazing, design what speaks to your soul, and share your unique vision with the community.
Shape Your New Self
Through millinery, costume, and artistic creation, discover and reveal new dimensions of yourself. This is transformation through creativity!
Call for Artists: Giant Eggs & Matzo Balls!
We are inviting artists to create one oversized Egg and one oversized Matzo Ball — think 3 to 4 feet — to hang in the Abbey Courtyard. Be part of the Easter Parade Matzo Ball Arts Movement!
Easter Egg Hunt!
The Easter Egg Hunt is going to be a blast for kids and families! Volunteers needed to help make it happen.
🙋 Volunteer to HelpWhat to Expect 🎉
Magnificent Hats
Wear your handcrafted masterpiece or admire the creativity of others. Every hat tells a story!
Matzo Ball Magic
Celebrating the beautiful blend of cultures with food, fun, and festivity.
Memory Making
Professional photographers capturing all the joy, laughter, and spectacular hat moments.
Our Sponsors & Partners 🤝
Thank you to our amazing partners who make this celebration possible!
Liberty Wildlife
Dedicated to nurturing the nature of Arizona through wildlife rehabilitation, environmental education, and conservation programs.
ASU School of Fashion & Design
Partnering to bring professional millinery expertise and creative workshops to our community.
Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact us to support community celebration! 💚
Support Our Event 💝
Help us keep this celebration FREE and accessible to everyone!
Your Donations Make It Possible
The Easter Parade Matzo Ball is a FREE community event made possible by generous donations. Your support helps us provide materials, workshops, and a joyful celebration for everyone!
Materials
Supplies for hat-making workshops
Community
Keep the event free for all
Activities
Post-parade games and entertainment
All donations are tax-deductible. Receipt provided for your records.
🎁 In-Kind Donations
Have materials or supplies to donate? We welcome:
- • Hat-making supplies (ribbons, flowers, feathers)
- • Art and craft materials
- • Photography services
- • Event setup and logistics support
🤲 Volunteer
Donate your time and talent:
- • Workshop facilitators
- • Event day helpers
- • Photographers and videographers
- • Social media ambassadors
What's It All About?
The story of the Easter Parade & Matzo Ball begins in 1980s downtown Phoenix, at Estelle's Bistro, with jazz, chopped liver sculptures, and a community finding itself. Read the full history — including the stories of Estelle Speros MacDonald and Jana Bommersbach.
📖 Read the Full History