The annual march, rebranded last year as the Italian Heritage Parade, will step off Monday at noon from St. Joseph’s Church on Broadway. The route takes participants through Washington Square and down Thames Street before turning onto Memorial Boulevard. It will end at the statue of Christopher Columbus at the intersection of Bellevue Avenue.

Members of the Newport Seaside Garden Club, who have cared for the area surrounding the Columbus statue for more than two decades, will serve as grand marshals of the parade. “This is the year to honor them for their commitment to Italian heritage and that particular spot in the city,” said Carmela Geer, one of the event organizers.

Longtime Festa Italiana committee member Sandra Flowers will lead the program at the conclusion of the parade, and the U.S. Navy Band and the Middletown and Portsmouth high school marching bands are set to perform.