Name: 2nd Annual Trash Parade!
Start: 2026-05-15T17:00:00-04:00
Location: Jay Square

TRASH PARADE 2026
Theme: POLLINATORS
The second annual Trash Parade is a creative community event aimed at repurposing recyclable materials and other waste products into puppets, costumes, masks, and banners to march in a procession in downtown Schenectady.
This is a community effort and will be open to all to create and march! Craft your own costumes, puppets, flags and banners out of waste materials, based on the theme "Pollinators".
Trash Parade takes place during Art Night Schenectady, Friday May 15th. Starting and ending at Jay Square, the procession will march down Jay Street (exact route TBD). This year will feature more live music and activities before and after the procession. Show off what you have created in our show-and-tell!
Kicking us off will be a performance by the incredible Troy Samba!
Some imagery that could be used with the theme of "POLLINATORS":
-Bees and other pollinating insects (butterflies, moths, flies, wasps, beetles)
-Birds like Hummingbirds
-Mammals (bats, also some rodents, possums, and lemurs)
-Flowers and other plants
-Food we eat that relies on pollinators
-Threats to pollinators
-Trash and waste in general
-Or however you interpret theme
Video from last year:

Examples from other events like this:
https://drive.google.com/.../1Lf7Y2hEthbGKLoi8Jyd0gq1wKwb...
This event will be updated with examples as people start to work on their projects.
Purpose:
Raise awareness of repurposing waste materials, reusing what we already have before producing new goods. Raise awareness of the effects of single use plastics on our environment. Using the theme of “pollinators” to communicate the importance of a healthy, balanced ecosystem, and how critical pollinators are to our food system
The parade is open to all to create something and participate. If you have a group you can form a "krewe", and potentially theme your costumes/puppets/banners together.
MORE DETAILS TO COME...