All it takes are two groups of people, one to gather and one to march past them. Parades took place across the globe these past two months for a variety of celebrations, from shows of military power, to tributes to organized labor, to pride for one’s country or culture.
1. Performers dance in the street parade at the annual Notting Hill Carnival in central London Aug. 29.. Revelers flocked to west London for one of Europe's biggest street parties, with record numbers of police on duty to prevent a repetition of riots that shook the British capital three weeks ago. Notting Hill Carnival, an annual celebration of Caribbean culture that usually draws about 1 million people for a colorful procession of musicians and performers. (Olivia Harris/Reuters)
2. A performer dances in the street parade at the annual Notting Hill Carnival in central London Aug. 29. (Toby Melville/Reuters)
3. Military cadets parade commemorating the 190th anniversary of Independence on Sept. 15 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. (Orlando Sierra/AFP/Getty Images)
4. Manash Sharma (left) waves to performers during the 31st India Day Parade on Aug. 21 in New York. (Jin Lee/Associated Press)
5. Dancers perform the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance on Sept. 12 in Abbots Bromley, United Kingdom. The dance comprising of six Deer-men, a Fool, Hobby Horse, Bowman and Maid Marian start in the early morning at the village church. A melodian player accompanies the dancers as they parade around the parish holding Reindeer antlers above their heads. The traditional Wakes Monday dance is believed to be the oldest folk dance in Britain and some of the antlers have been carbon dated to be over 1000 years old. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
6. German organizations from around the U.S. and beyond traveled to Manhattan to participate in the 54th annual Steuben Parade Sept. 17. The parade celebrates German-American culture and is billed as a symbol of friendship between the two countries. (John Minchillo/Associated Press)
7. Soldiers march in the military parade during the Independence Day celebrations in Mexico City Sept. 16. Mexico celebrated the 201st anniversary of its 1810 independence uprising. (Marco Ugarte/Associated Press)
8. Indonesian Muslim children carry torches during a parade celebrating Eid al Fitr holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan in Jakarta, Indonesia Aug. 30. (Dita Alangkara/Associated Press)
9. A solider stands at attention as Evzones presidential guards parade outside the Greek parliament in central Athens, Greece, on Sept. 13. (Angelos Tzortzinis/Bloomberg)
10. Actors, dressed as men of clay, perform at a parade during a show reviving the ancient Roman circus in the central Spanish village of Banos de Valdearados Aug. 21. The village, founded by the Romans and located in the famous Spanish wine-growing area Ribera del Duero, holds yearly festivities in honour of the Roman god Baccus in which all villagers wear Roman costumes and take part in various street shows and attend spectacular ancient Roman performances. (Ricardo Ordonez/Reuters)
11. Volunteers and attendees parade around the field in front of nearly 3000 flags during a Sept. 11th commemoration ceremony at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio. The flags represent the people who died at the World Trade Center. (Jay LaPrete/Associated Press)
12. Malaysians stand in line during a parade rehearsal for the Malaysia Day celebrations at Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Sept. 14. The country celebrates the holiday on Sept. 16, to commemorate the formation of the Malaysia federation which was announced on the same date in 1963. (Vincent Thian/Associated Press)
13. Vessels sail during a great parade of the Culture Tall Ships Regatta on the Bay of Gdansk near the eastern Polish Baltic Sea city of Gdynia Sept. 5. The Culture 2011 Tall Ships Regatta featured two races from Klaipeda to Turku to Gdynia as part of the Tall Ships festival season, during which participating cities showcased their cultural activities, according to organizers. (Kacper Pempel/Reuters)
14. A military band marches in a Guatemala City parade to commemorate the 190th anniversary of independence of the Republic of Guatemala Sept. 15. (Jorge Dan Lopez/Reuters)
15. After taking a dance move a little bit too low, an overjoyed Courtney Steward, 18, with Soca Associates Band, needed a hand up during the Annual Caribbean Carnival and Parade on Aug. 27 in Dorchester, MA. (Essdras M Suarez/The Boston Globe)
16. A Samoan supporter watches the Strong Pacific Families Rugby Nations Parade in the suburb of Porirua in Wellington to celebrate the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, on September 14. (Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images)
17. Libyan National Transitional Council fighters parade in Tripoli on Sept. 9 as diplomats said that the UN Security Council could pass a resolution next week easing an asset freeze and arms embargo against Libya to help launch a UN mission in the country. (Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Images)
18. A girl waves national flags as she participates in a parade during the double celebrations of Malaysia Day and Independence Day in Kuala Lumpur Sept. 16. Malaysia celebrated the 48th anniversary of the union of Malaysia as well as the 54 years of the country's independence. (Bazuki Muhammad/Reuters)
19. A Malaysian woman performs during the Malaysia Day and Independence Day parade in Kuala Lumpur on Sept. 16. Malaysia is celebrating its 54th independence day with the theme "1 Malaysia transformation, success, people peace". (Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images)
20. Namibia fans parade their colors prior to kickoff during the 2011 Rugby World Cup Pool D match between Fiji and Namibia at the Rotorua International Stadium on Sept.10 in Rotorua, New Zealand. (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
21. Students get ready before the start of a parade commemorating Nicaragua's Independence Day 190th anniversary, in Managua, on Sept. 14. (Elmer Martinez/AFP/Getty Images)
22. The North Korean military parades to celebrate the 63rd founding anniversary of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in Pyongyang on Sept. 9. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il and his son reviewed the parade of military hardware and thousands of goose-stepping troops, in what analysts saw as a bid to bolster loyalty to the regime. (AFP/Getty Images)
23. The Group Aero Squadron (Esquadrilha da fumaca) flies in formation during a civic-military parade in commemoration of 189 years of Brazilian independence, in Brasilia Sept. 7. (Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)
24. Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff waves from a vehicle during a civic-military parade commemorating 189 years of Brazilian independence in Brasilia Sept.7. (Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)
25. A protester with her face painted with a national flag takes part in the March Against the Corruption of Brazilian politics in Brasilia on Sept. 7. The march was held simultaneous of the official Brazilian Independency Day Parade. (Pedro Ladeira/AFP/Getty Images)
26. Union members, along with their relatives, walk in the annual Labor Day parade in Detroit, MI Sept. 5. (Paul Sancya/Associated Press)
27. A reveler dances during the West Indian-American Day Parade Sept. 5 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. More than 2 million spectators were expected to attend the celebration of Caribbean culture. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
28. Star Wars Storm Troopers match in the Dragoncon parade on Sept. 3 in Atlanta. Dragoncon is a multimedia convention held annually over Labor Day weekend that draws tens of thousands of comic book, fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music film and science-fiction fans. (John Amis/AFP/Getty Images)
29. Makia Daniel (left) watches as Lori King, (right) puts eyelashes on Lauren O'Neal as they get ready to take part in the West Indian Day Parade Sept. 5 in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (Tina Fineberg/Associated Press)
30. A marcher fakes death from a mock battle on Peachtree Street between medieval characters during the Dragoncon parade on Sept. 3 in Atlanta. Dragoncon is a multimedia convention held annually over Labor Day weekend that draws tens of thousands of comic book, fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music film and science-fiction fans. (John Amis/AFP/Getty Images)
31. Kyrgyz men carry flags as they take part in a military parade devoted to the celebration of Kyrgyzstan's Independence Day, in Bishkek, on Aug. 31. Kyrgyzstan's president expressed hope the ex-Soviet state was heading to prosperity as it marked a tumultuous 20 years of independence that has seen ethnic violence and two revolutions. (Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty Images)
32. Turkish veterans carry Turkish flags during a parade marking the 89th anniversary of Victory Day in Ankara Aug. 30. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)
33. Boston Bruins Brad Marchand lifts the Stanley Cup for the crowd at the conclusion of a parade on Aug. 29 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Mike Dembeck/Associated Press/The Canadian Press)
34. Former Miss Universe Japan Hiroko Mima parades during a show at the Tokyo Fashion Fuse event in Tokyo Aug. 20. The event is a merger of music and fashion featuring top models and international DJs. (Greg Baker/Associated Press)
35. Liz Karmooch, a member of the Brahma Kumaris, practice her performance before the start of the 31st India Day Parade on Aug. 21 in New York. (Jin Lee/Associated Press)
36. A performer dances in the street parade at the annual Notting Hill Carnival in central London Aug. 28. Revelers take to London's streets for one of Europe's biggest street parties with police out in record numbers to make sure there was no repetition of riots that scarred the capital three weeks ago. (Luke MacGregor/Reuters)
37. A girl sits in a decorated vehicle during a parade ahead of the country's 190th anniversary of independence at the Joaquin Robles elementary school in Los Encuentros, Solola, 130 km (112 miles) from Guatemala City Sept. 14. The country celebrates its independence on September 15. (Jorge Dan Lopez/Reuters)