Feb. 20, 2013 By Christian Murray
The 14th annual Sunnyside/Woodside “St. Pat’s for All” parade is scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 3—and will feature puppets, stilt walkers and plenty of Irish music.
The event will begin at the corner of 47th Street & Skillman Ave. and end at Woodside Ave. & 58th Street. The pre-parade speeches and entertainment will begin at 12:30pm, with the parade officially starting at 2pm.
The St. Pat’s For All parade is arguably this neighborhood’s most popular event. When it began 13 years ago, it was largely a gay-pride parade – organized by a number of Irish men and women who were not allowed to march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade on Fifth Ave under a gay banner.
Today, the Sunnyside/Woodside event has morphed into a major community event, where seniors, children, minorities, gay groups and a local dog organization participate.
“This parade is special,” said Brendan Fay, a gay Irishman who founded the event. “Sunnyside has increasingly embraced the parade as its own– and different groups continue to want to participate.”
Fay said he is expecting more than 1,500 people to participate. However, there could be more. He said that there is still time for community groups to sign up and that those interested just need to go onto the St Pat’s for All website and register.
This year the bars and restaurants in Sunnyside are getting behind the event.
Ten bars and restaurants on Queens Blvd—known as the Sunnyside’s Boulevard of Bars—are hosting a joint Irish music concert, where Irish bands will play at their respective pubs after the parade. The first bands are expected to start at about 3 pm–with the second group beginning in the early evening.
Meanwhile, the Skillman Project, which is comprised of several bars and restaurants on Skillman Ave., will participate by entering its own float in the parade and several of its member pubs will be holding post-parade events.
“Just when I was thinking…how can we grow the parade,” Fay said, “I discover the businesses are getting behind it. I am so heartened by this.”
The parade has drawn a range of performers and participants over the years. This year’s attendees will include the Niall O’Leary School of Irish Dance, the Shannon Gaels Gaelic Football Club, the Keltic Dream Dancers (a group of about 35 children from the Bronx), Swim Strong, The Red Cross, and Sunnyside Community Services— to the local Sunnyside dog group, SUDS. Three marching bands have already signed up and several Irish musicians.
Several well-known gay groups, such as Dignity NY, Stonewall Democrats of NYC and the Queens Lesbian & Gay Pride Committee are likely to march.
Meanwhile, there will be a range of ethnic groups represented. Participants from Mexico, Tibet and Bolivia are expected to dance or march.
This year Aidan Connolly and Pauline Turley, who both run the Irish Arts Center in Manhattan, will serve as grand marshals.
Fay said the Irish Arts Center, which was established 40 years ago, has made great strides in helping to preserve Irish culture. “They have helped pass on Irish history and culture in the city,” Fay said, adding that the center offers classes in Irish music, dance and language—in addition to Irish film and art exhibitions.
Fay said that there will be a moment prior to the parade to reflect on the passing of Rory Staunton, a 12-year-old Sunnysider who died from a Sepsis infection. The organizers will also recognize the history of organized labor.
