Fifth Avenue will turn blue and white on Sunday, June 1, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., as more than 30 floats with musical performers, 15 marching bands and 35,000 marchers entertain hundreds of thousands of spectators for the largest celebration of Israel in the world – the annual Celebrate Israel Parade, hosted by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY).

This year marks the golden anniversary of what has become one of the largest parades in New York City. Founded in 1964, the Parade is the marquee event of the JCRC-NY’s Celebrate Israel Initiative, that celebrates the positive impact the Jewish and democratic state of Israel has on the lives of Jews around the world. Presided over by Grand Marshal Robert Benrimon, founder of Skyframe Inc., this year’s parade will “lift-off” by featuring the Israeli non-profit organization SpaceIL, which is working to land the first Israeli spacecraft on the moon as part of the international Google Lunar XPrize competition in 2015. SpaceIL is building the “smallest, smartest lunar spacecraft ever” (SpaceIL.com), and through its mission, SpaceIL aspires to create a new “Apollo effect” to inspire the next generation to think differently about science, technology, engineering, and math. Also for this year’s 50th anniversary Parade, the US IL Flying Club, an informal gathering of pilots and aviation fans from the U.S. and Israel, will be doing a flyover saluting the Parade.

More than 200 organizations are scheduled to march along Fifth Avenue, from 57th Street to 74th Street, including groups of rollerbladers, motorcyclists, dance groups, and juggling clowns. The 2014 parade theme is “50 Reasons to Celebrate Israel.”

Prior to the kickoff of the Parade, the annual four-mile, Celebrate Israel Run will begin at 8 a.m. in Central Park. More than 6,000 runners will race through a course designed to represent a run through Israel, as well as a festival featuring Israeli music, snacks and more. Returning this year, a kids’ run for those aged two through 12 beginning at 9:30 a.m. will take place simultaneously. To register, please visit NYRR.org.

To find out how your organization can be a parade sponsor or for information on participating in the parade as a group, visit celebrateisraelny.org, or visit the parade’s Facebook page: Celebrate Israel Parade.