Across Queens, lucky leprechauns, young and old, are thinking shamrock green and eagerly anticipating the borough’s St. Patrick’s Day parades and events. So, get ready for Emerald Isle-themed marching bands, pipe players, Irish step dancing and all kinds of festivities. And don’t forget to wear that special color!
Parade Day Half-Marathon & 5K Run
Saturday, March 4, at 9 a.m.
Check-in on Beach 108th Street in Rockaway Park
Rockaway Track Club kicks off the Queens St. Patrick’s Day Parade with a Luck of the Irish Run on the Boardwalk. Check in at Ciro’s Pizza at 171 Beach 116th St., Rockaway Park to get your bib tag and T-shirt. Start and finish lines are at 116th Street on the boardwalk. The half-marathon admission price ($65) includes a T-shirt, medal and a slice of pizza, and sales end on March 3 at 7 p.m. For tickets, visit rockawaytc.org/event-details/parade-day-half-marathon.
49th Annual Queens County Rockaway Parade
Sat., March 4, at 1 p.m.
Kicks off from Beach 129th Street and Newport Avenue in Far Rockaway
Head to Rockaway Beach for an early St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The annual march starts with a Mass for peace at St. Francis de Sales Church, before stepping off behind grand marshals that include congressmen and respected community members. The parade goes down Newport Avenue, across Beach 116th Street, down Rockaway Beach Boulevard, past a reviewing stand on Beach 105th Street to where the parade ends by the St. Camillus parking lot on Beach 100th Street.
St. Pat’s for All Parade
Sunday, March 5, at noon
Starts at 43rd Street and Skillman Avenue and ends at 58th Street and Woodside Avenue
Music and remarks begin at noon. Parade begins at 1 p.m.
Since 2000, New York City’s first inclusive St. Patrick’s Day parade celebrates the diversity of the Irish and Irish American communities and welcomes all to celebrate Irish heritage and culture regardless of race, gender, creed or sexual orientation. The parade returns once again to the hospitable communities of Sunnyside and Woodside, Queens.
Here in New York, St. Pat’s for All joins community groups, unions, businesses, activists, schools, clubs, artists, musicians and dancers, who, for a few hours, turn the streets of Sunnyside and Woodside GREEN.
Parade participants include the following: FDNY Pipers and Cork Society Pipe Band, Queer Big Apple Marching Band, Rude Mechanical Orchestra, Hungry Marching Band, Fogo Azul Women Drummers, Niall O’Leary School of Dance, McManus School of Dance, Vets for Peace joined by Rising Together Guerilla, theater (Mother Earth vs. the War Machine), dancers and giant puppets
General admission is free. Register to march at eventbrite.com/e/st-pats-for-all-parade-2023-registration-526891224837.
Kathleen Walsh D’Arcy is a proud feminist, community activist, writer, editor, teacher and social worker who has served as a Chair of St. Pat’s for All since 2007. She is proud to have spent many years fighting to end the ban on LGBTQ Irish people marching in the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
D’Arcy’s Irish roots stem from County Offaly and Tipperary. Her parents emigrated from Ireland in the 1920s, and she was born and raised in Manhattan and now lives in Jackson Heights.
“I’m a Queens resident, a native New Yorker and a child of Irish immigrants who gave me a love of Irish history – a history of caring for other people, of fighting for justice,” D’Arcy told QNS.
“I had to stop marching on Fifth Avenue every St. Patrick’s Day when so many people faced discrimination and exclusion. I am an ally who joined others and fought and won inclusion in 2016. Now, we have peace on Fifth Avenue, and we march together.”
She added, “This year, I’m joined by co-chair, Miranda Stinson. We have a great all-volunteer team, and we thank the Sunnyside/Woodside community, and the children and families cheering along the route, for embracing this parade.”
The Queens St. Patrick’s 5K & Half-Marathon
Sunday, March 5, from 9:30 a.m. to noon
Flushing Meadows Corona Park between the Grand Central Parkway and the Van Wyck Expressway
A little luck at the end of the finish line? All lads and lassies come and catch a leprechaun and he’ll tell you where they hid his pot o’ gold! If that doesn’t happen, finish this run and catch yourself some bling plus treats. The event will occur rain or shine. Get a Queens St. Patrick’s finisher medal and Queens St. Patrick’s tee. Parking is at the Queens Museum building, Meridian Road; walk to Queens Theater. Register at Elitefeats.com.
2023 Bayside Saint Patrick’s Day Parade
Saturday, March 25, at 1 p.m.
Bell Boulevard
This lively parade will be marching down Bell Boulevard from 35th Avenue to 42nd Avenue. Free to attend. Register at allevents.in/mobile/amp-event.php?event_id=200023775413841.
Bayside Village St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Saturday, March 25, at 1 p.m.
Bayside Village District Management, 213-33 39th Ave., Suite 310
Celebrate Irish culture and heritage with bands from all over the region, Irish dancers and family fun! The parade will run along Bell Boulevard from 36th through 41st avenues. General admission is free.
Hands On History: St. Patrick’s Day!
Saturday, March 4, from 1 to 4 p.m.
King Manor Museum, 150-03 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica
Make your own shamrock and harp in honor of St. Patrick’s Day! Reserve a spot for this free event at eventbrite.com/e/hands-on-history-st-patricks-day-tickets-460409967607.
St. Patrick’s Day NEON PARTY!
Friday, March 17, from 9 p.m. to Saturday, March 18, at 2 a.m.
Moon Bar Rooftop – The One Boutique Hotel, 137-72 Northern Blvd., Flushing
St. Patrick’s Day will turn neon for one night! The event includes free colorful neon gadgets, as well as one free special Irish shot with one drink purchased. Tickets are $20. For more information, visit allevents.in/queens/st-patricks-day-neon-party/10000532681323177.
40 Shades of Green: New York’s St. Patrick’s Day Gathering
Friday, March 17, from 3 to 9 p.m.
New York Irish Center, 1040 Jackson Ave., Long Island City
Immerse yourself in Irish culture. The New York Irish Center will serve as the official hub of St. Patrick’s Day activities, providing a day filled with music, dance and joyous mingling with some of the most talented and prominent people in the community. A remarkable cavalcade of local and international performers and personalities. General admission is $33.85 (free for children). Purchase tickets at eventbrite.com/e/40-shades-of-green-new-yorks-st-patricks-day-gathering-tickets-514344978677. The center also offers Irish language classes, fiddle lessons and film screenings, so you can continue exploring Irish traditions beyond March 17.
