Easter Hat Parade

The Easter Hat Parade (also known as the Easter Bonnet Parade) began in New York in the 1870s as a fashion event in which attendees would flaunt their finest clothing and, particularly, flamboyant hats. Traditionally, the Easter bonnet was a Christian symbol of spiritual renewal which would be accompanied by new clothes worn specifically for Easter.

The origin of Easter ceremonies centred around flamboyant clothing may have started even earlier with the Roman Emperor Constantine I in the 4^th Century when he ‘ordered his subjects to dress in their finest and parade in honour of Christ’s resurrection.’  

According to the Queensland Times articles of the 1920s, the residents of Ipswich celebrated Easter one of two ways. Either residents attended their local church or went on holiday to the seaside.

On Tuesday 19 April 1927 the Queensland Times published an article titled ‘Ipswich Easter Monday’. The author writes:

‘Ipswich was nearly deserted yesterday. Rarely are the streets as quiet. A big proportion of the people who had not gone away for the whole Easter holiday left the town for the day, on car and rail trips to the seaside… Popular picnic places along the Brisbane River were far busier than the town.’

An earlier article published on Saturday 19 April 1924 also mentions the people of Ipswich celebrating Easter by visiting the sea:

‘The Easter Holiday period this year provided a striking contrast to that of 1923, when there were some thousands of visitors to the eisteddfod. This year great numbers of Ipswichians have availed themselves of the opportunity of repairing to the seaside, and yesterday was as quiet as the quietest Sunday.’

The photos in this collection showcase headwear from the modest to the eccentric throughout the decades.