(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners from New York and nearby areas performed in the New York Veteran's Day Parade on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on November 11, marking the 16th time that they have participated in this event.

Falun Gong group in the 2015 Veteran's Day Parade in Manhattan, NY

The Falun Gong group, featured by the Divine Land Marching Band, was the finale of the parade, along with 250 some groups made up of more than 20,000 members. In addition, performances by Falun Gong's fairy dancers, exercise demonstration team, float, and traditional Chinese waist drum team were warmly welcomed by the spectators.

Li Hongzhen, a Falun Gong practitioner in the parade, hopes that more Chinese tourists could see the parade, and learn about what Falun Gong really is and why it is so popular in the free world.

Indeed, many Chinese in the audience were pleasantly surprised when they saw the Falun Gong entry approach. One Chinese girl said: “I could hardly believe that so many Chinese people were participating in a huge parade here in America. As a Chinese, I'm proud of them.”

One Taiwanese young man made a gesture saluting the Falun Gong practitioners and said, “They are great. I wanted to express my respect to them in this picture.”