NYC Pride Parade, Puerto Rican Day Parade and Salute to Israel Parade canceled for June, along with all city-permitted events

Spectators cheer during the 61st annual Puerto Rican Day parade on Sunday, June 10, 2018.

Some of New York City’s most emblematic parades are canceled for June, Mayor de Blasio said Monday — and they may not come back at all this year.

He said the Pride Parade, Puerto Rican Day Parade and Salute to Israel Parade — along with all city-permitted events for June — will not take place.

“Compared to people’s health and safety, food, shelter — all the things we’re trying to guarantee for New Yorkers — and especially compared to the big question of how do we come back safely [and] smartly, these kind of community events, we love them, but they’re not what we need right now,” Hizzoner said at a press conference. “They’re not the most essential things, and we have to be smart about it.”

Organizers had been planning a special celebration for this year’s Pride Parade, which was set to mark its 50th anniversary.

“This is definitely a difficult pill to swallow,” they wrote on Facebook. “Since 1969, the people of NYC have celebrated our queer culture, remembered all of those who have paved the way for us to stand where we are today, and fought back against any who try to cause harm to the LGBTQIA+ community.

“That spirit, that energy, that PRIDE is not something that can be canceled,” they added.

While de Blasio said the city will work with organizers to hold parades later this year, he noted the logistics of putting on events that draw thousands could be unfeasible in the wake of a pandemic that’s claimed more than 13,000 New Yorkers’ lives.

“This is an area where we don’t know yet,” he said when asked if the parades can be rescheduled for later this year. “We have to always plan on the worst-case scenarios, we have to protect ourselves.

“There’s also better-case scenarios that could come along and could get proven that might open up possibilities for later on — late in the summer going into the fall,” he added.

The parade cancellations came amid a series of orders that have ground city life to a halt.

Last month, Gov. Cuomo and de Blasio ordered stadiums, museums and other large venues to stop hosting groups of 500 or more people. That was quickly followed by an order barring restaurants and bars from serving customers on their premises. Schools were closed March 16.

The governor and mayor have emphasized they’ll take a cautious approach to reopening parts of city life as the outbreak slowly comes under control.

De Blasio tried to sound a positive note about the parade cancellations.

“The fact that they’re postponing now is actually going to help us get to that point later in the year where things can open up and be better,” he said. "Then we’re going to work closely with them to find the right time and place to do what they do each year.