Fifth Avenue became a sea of red, white and green yesterday as tens of thousands of Italian-Americans celebrated their heritage on Columbus Day.
The 65th parade, which honors Christopher Columbus’ 1492 expedition to the New World, included a modern-day explorer, astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
The moon walker was among the tens of thousands of participants as the parade stepped off at 11:30 a.m. at Fifth Avenue and 44th Street, continuing up the avenue to 79th Street.
The grand marshal was Kenneth Langone, co-founder of The Home Depot and chairman of the NYU Langone Medical Center.
In addition to the marchers, there were floats and politicians, including Mayor Bloomberg, Gov. Paterson and Sen. Chuck Schumer.
The festivities also included a display of Maserati cars from the 1920s.
The first parade was held on Oct. 12, 1929 — it’s been suspended several times since — when Italian immigrants and Big Apple businessman led marchers from East Harlem to Columbus Circle.
More than 35,000 people march each year.