Head to Bayside at the end of the month for a show of Irish pride at the neighborhood’s yearly Saint Patrick’s Day Parade.
On Saturday, March 28, the annual event will return to Bell Boulevard for the third consecutive year. The family-friendly event began in 2018 in order to showcase Bayside’s strong Irish American community.
The parade route begins at 36th Avenue and will travel down Bell Boulevard toward 42nd Avenue. This year, organizers have dedicated the parade to the late Phil Brady, a 2019 aide to the grand marshal, who passed away in October 2019.
Eileen Flannelly Mackell is this year’s parade grand marshal and will be joined by aides Tommy Mulvihill, John Golden, Tom Golden, Robert Lynch, Joe Donovan and Father Chris Heanue. Mackell is the vice president of the Container Royalty Central Collection Fund (CRCCF) of the International Longshoreman Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX).
Although the parade is a one-day event, one of the event organizers Kieran Mahoney told QNS that organizing the event takes all year and the dedication of over 20 community members.
“It takes a strong, organized and cooperative committee to organize the parade. Our committee of over 20 people does great work throughout the year. The parade might be one day but work is done year round, such as fundraising, outreach [and] community building. Our sponsors have been vital in our efforts, without their support we couldn’t make this happen,” Mahoney told QNS.
Last year’s parade featured more than 70 local groups including schools, marching and pipe bands, dance groups and civic organizations.
The third annual Bayside Saint Patrick’s Day Parade is on March 28 at 11 a.m. For more information, visit baysidesaintpatricksdayparade.org or find the parade on Facebook and Instagram.
