NYC Buddy Walk and Times Square Video

Smiling woman wearing a red Buddy Walk shirt holds up her baby with Down syndrome and a visible G-tube to see the billboard in Times Square

Since 1995, the Buddy Walk® has been the premier advocacy event for Down syndrome in the United States. It is also the world’s most widely recognized public awareness program for the Down syndrome community. The flagship New York City Buddy Walk® attracts participants from coast to coast each year.

Save the Date for our 2025 New York City Buddy Walk and Times Square Video Presentation- September 6, 2025, in New York City! Check out Buddy Walk Hotel Accommodations HERE.

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Times Square Video Presentation

Every year, NDSS reminds the world in a BIG way about the value that people with Down syndrome bring to their communities through a special video presentation on a jumbo screen, generously donated by Clear Channel, in the heart of Times Square.  

500 individuals are chosen to appear in the Times Square Video, and NDSS tries to choose as many new faces as possible each year to highlight the diversity and beauty of our community. The hour-long presentation kicks off the NYC Buddy Walk® and is streamed live on Facebook.

Submissions will open in March 2025. Stay tuned on our socials for announcements!

2024 NYC Buddy Walk

Blonde woman with Down syndrome, using a wheelchair, smiles at the Times Square billboard

Three kids on stage in front of the NDSS banner

NDSS staff and a woman and a teen girl with Down syndrome smile at the camera from Times Square

Two boys with glasses smile

People at the Buddy Walk in red shirts celebrate

David, a man with Down syndrome and NDSS staff member, welcomes a crowd from a stage in front of an NDSS banner

A Black man with Down syndrome and his family participate in the Buddy Walk

A group, wearing red Buddy Walk shirts, holds up I heart NYC signs

Girl with Down syndrome and pig tails crossed the Buddy Walk finish line

Girl with Down syndrome and pig tails dances on stage