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A woman with pigeon earrings waited in line to get her face painted. At a nearby table, children crafted pigeon piñatas and drew on pigeon postcards. Representatives from NYC Bird Alliance and the Wild Bird Fund handed out informational fliers. A line formed in front of carnival-inspired games like Pin the Tail on the Pigeon and Ring-A-Wing in which players tried to land a plastic ring on a pigeon silhouette.
These were just some of the booths and activities at Pigeon Fest, a day-long festival on Sunday, June 15 at the High Line, which drew a packed crowd, despite the rainy day. The crowd of eager avian admirers represent the growing love for the city's most misunderstood bird; some of the most ardent attendees even care for pigeons every day.
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Overseeing it all was "Dinosaur," a hyper-realistic 16-foot pigeon sculpture perched on the elevated park, which served as the inspiration for the event. Since the sculpture's installation in October 2024, High Line official say they have seen an increase in visitation to the park.
"New Yorkers have opinions about everything, but they seem to really be flocking to this particular sculpture," Alan van Capelle, Executive Director of the High Line said. "And we thought, why not have a festival celebrating all things pigeon?"
Sharing van Capelle's enthusiasm is Iván Argote, the Colombian artist and film director behind "Dinosaur." As an artist who works in public installation, bringing people together is an important part of Argote's work. "Dinosaur"—and Pigeon Fest specifically—represent how art can create a community for New Yorkers.
"I think the sculpture talks a lot to New Yorkers because I think New Yorkers can understand very well this feeling of the funky and the strange," Argote said.
New Yorkers can understand very well this feeling of the funky and the strange.
Indeed, in addition to sharing information about urban ecology, embracing the funky and strange was a large part of Pigeon Fest's programming. One of the day's most anticipated events was the Pigeon Impersonation Pageant.
The pageant included seven impersonators, each judged on their pigeon-ness based on four qualifications: plumage, strut, sound and stage presence. The panel of judges included Argote and a representative of Cornell's Ornithology Lab.
Each pigeon brought their personality to the stage. One contestant donned a top hat for their look and laid an egg on-stage, while another wore a white feathery look with ornate gloves. Songs like Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon" and Nelly Furtado's "I'm Like a Bird" played in the background while the contestants strutted their stuff. The crowd cheered and applauded as contestants took away pigeon-shaped gold trophies.
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At the end of the pageant, the High Line staff cleared the stage, prepping for a much different but deeply important event: a panel on building bird-friendly cities. Panelists included Qiana Mickie, executive director of the Mayor's Office of Urban Agriculture, and Christian Cooper, a science writer and birding advocate.
Attending this panel was Margaret Lee, a resident of New York City who has been a long-time pigeon lover. Every day, Lee walks a mile-long loop around her apartment to feed several flocks of pigeons around Downtown Manhattan. For Lee, hearing from experts like Mickie and Cooper is an important part of Pigeon Fest.
"I'm hanging out primarily here for the compassionate leaders that I am hoping for," Lee told Time Out. "It's amazing to see so many people turning out for the pigeons."
It's amazing to see so many people turning out for the pigeons.
At Pigeon Fest, turning out for the pigeons means many things, whether learning about bird-friendly cities or purchasing a pigeon-themed book. Rosemary Mosco, a cartoonist and science writer who published a book titled A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World's Most Misunderstood Bird also attended the event.
"I have had a couple of people come up and tell me that they adopted pigeons because they read my book," Mosco said. "That’s all I need to hear in life."
Though Pigeon Fest was a one-time only event, the High Line plans to host similar art and events, bringing people together through urban ecology.
"One of the things that I think 'Dinosaur' has done is have New Yorkers think about the types of people and things we see every day but never really pay attention to," van Capelle explained. "It's really a metaphor for the different worlds that exist in the city."