New York, New York - The High Line's first-ever Pigeon Festival graced New York City on Saturday, and droves of devoted pigeon aficionados were out in full force.

What the flock? The turnout for this silly-sounding event was considerable – and in the rain, too!

But the organizers of Pigeon Fest 2025 were not about to let a little bad weather dampen the outpouring of pigeon enthusiasm, and so the celebration came to roost just a little way down from the gloriously gargantuan pigeon statue the High Line unveiled in October of 2014.

The statue's artist, Iván Argote, came in person to speak about the piece titled Dinosaur.

He and High Line Art Chief Curator Cecilia Alemani spoke onstage about the role of public art in city life and how the ambitious project came about.

While the whimsical pigeon-themed carnival games and crafts were pretty fun for bird-lovers of all ages, some of the biggest event draws of the day included a panel discussion with conservation experts Qiana Mickie (Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Urban Agriculture), Christian Cooper (science writer and birding advocate), and Ethan Dropkin (horticulture specialist).

Our dear departed Flaco the Owl also got a mention in this conversation, as his life and tragic death are spurring on legislation to better protect birds in NYC.

Far and away, however, the biggest event of the day was the Pigeon Impersonation Pageant.

The fabulous contestants strutted their stuff with song, dance, and a little bit of razzle-dazzle to win the coveted grand prize trophy – and infinite bragging rights.

Legendary costume designer Machine Dazzle hosted the pageant, which judged people based on plumage (costume), strut, and sound.

There was performance art, burlesque, acrobatics, and one even had a lil' top hat – the crowd went feral for every minute of it, as only New Yorkers can.

Congratulations to the supreme pigeon winner, @miriamflorence! (Honestly, who could resist that top hat plus a soft shoe solo? C'mon, now.)

Our final verdict: Pigeon Fest was nothing short of specta-coo-lar. Hey, High Line, any chance that this can become a yearly thing?