For many years, Anniversary Day was a major event for those who came of age in the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens. Traditionally celebrated on the first Thursday in June, unless it coincided with Memorial Day week, in which case it was moved to the second Thursday, it was a cherished day off from school, filled with festivities that left lasting memories.
Though Anniversary Day is still recognized by schools in all five boroughs, it’s now more commonly referred to as Brooklyn-Queens Day. In recent years, it has also coincided with Eid al-Adha, the Islamic holiday commemorating the Feast of Sacrifice. However, today’s quiet observance bears little resemblance to the vibrant celebrations of the past.
In its heyday, Anniversary Day featured grand parades, colorful floats, marching bands and enthusiastic crowds. For children especially, the day was a highlight of the year. The celebration’s origins trace back to 1816, when the Brooklyn Sunday School Union founded the city’s first Sunday School to “provide gratuitous religious instruction to children on the Sabbath Day.”
To mark the school’s anniversary and promote the Sunday School movement, the first Anniversary Day parade was held in 1829. As New York City’s population expanded eastward, new Sunday School unions were formed, including the Woodhaven Sunday School Union in Queens in 1889.
This growth led to dozens of simultaneous parades throughout various neighborhoods, involving hundreds of churches and tens of thousands of participants. Governor Herbert Lehman called the celebration “one of the genuinely worthwhile things in the city” in 1937. Though rooted in Protestant tradition, the event was inclusive; churches welcomed Scout troops and other community organizations, drawing in people of all faiths.
In Woodhaven, the observance grew so large that two separate parades were held simultaneously, each taking a different route. Participants came from as far as Cypress Hills and Far Rockaway.
The East End parade featured congregations such as Emanuel United Church of Christ, the Community Church of Woodhaven, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Christ Congregational Church, Woodhaven First Presbyterian and both the First Methodist and United Brethren Churches from Ozone Park.
The West End parade included Woodhaven Methodist Church, Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, Woodhaven Baptist Church, Forest Park Reformed Church and St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Both parades converged on 91st Avenue, passing a single reviewing stand filled with local dignitaries: state assemblymen and senators, city council members, civic leaders and business owners.
Each year, the parades carried a theme such as “Love One Another,” “Try Christ’s Way,” or “Christian Unity—World Fellowship.” In the late 1930s, one poignant theme was simply “Peace”, a hope soon overshadowed by the outbreak of World War II. In 1943, the parade was suspended due to the war effort.
During wartime, participating churches carried service flags bearing the names of their young members in the armed forces. Scouts proudly held flags; children rode decorated floats; hymns filled the air. Mothers pushed strollers decked out in festive colors. It was a deeply personal and community-centered event.
In 1959, the New York State Legislature declared Anniversary Day an official school holiday in Brooklyn and Queens. It became widely known as Brooklyn-Queens Day.
Over time, however, interest waned. Participation dwindled, and by 1985, the last Anniversary Day parade took place in Woodhaven, just four years short of what would have been its centennial celebration.
However, there will be a parade in Woodhaven this year as the community will come together on Saturday, June 14, at Victory Field (Myrtle Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard) to celebrate Woodhaven’s 190th anniversary. The parade kicks off at 10 am on Victory Field.
There will also be a Flag Day Event co-sponsored by CM Joann Ariola and The Forest Park Trust, a Woodhaven Art Market where you can buy artwork created by local artists and a vintage 1890s style baseball game (with a workshop for kids afterwards). Anniversary Day parades may be a thing of the past, but this year, Woodhaven will celebrate its anniversary in style with a great parade!
