Every year, the emergence of St. Patrick’s Day brings a ton of excitement for those who are Irish, or those who like to celebrate the holiday in general. Irish people make up about 9.5% of the U.S. population, which is why it’s become such a significant holiday across the sea from Ireland.
For New York, St. Patricks Day is not just a day of green colors all around the city, but a day of acknowledging and celebrating Irish heritage for the Irish-American Community. Aside from the major St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City, one of the most significant St. Patrick’s Day parades locally is in Bayside, which will be celebrated around the end of March. It is particularly important to various Bayside community organization.
This parade makes its way down Bell Boulevard, as many people can be seen marching down and celebrating their Irish heritage and culture. Their intention and vision for this parade is to preserve their Irish heritage and incorporate it into celebration throughout Bayside and Northeast Queens.
In this parade, in years past, many Irish New Yorkers could be seen encapsulating colors of white, green, and orange throughout flags and clothing choice. One of the many people that can be seen marching down the streets is Cardozo’s very own marching band.
As Bayside residents are preparing for their annual parade, along with that requires participation from its fellow community. This includes the schools that are located in Bayside.
Senior Nicholas Wong, president of the Cardozo Marching band, shared that the marching band practices and takes time to make sure they are ready for the parade.
“We are preparing for the parade that will take place in Bayside by having after school practice with the marching band, where we practice our musical abilities and marching,” Wong said.
“In the parade, we will be walking down the streets and playing music for all those who have come to watch the parade,” he added.
The Cardozo marching band is taking their time and efforts towards this parade, as they prepare to march down and showcase their musical abilities. It’s a huge accomplishment for the music department for the band to be invited to such a big, neighborhood event.
“St. Patricks is an important celebration for us students and teachers in Cardozo High School,” Wong explained. “It is a time where we can have fun and spend time with our friends and family, through celebrating this holiday.”
The celebration of St. Patrick’s Day does indeed bring together inclusiveness and socialization within our fellow community. It ignites the friendship and enjoyment of the fellow Cardozo family and the spirit of the holiday, bringing the community closer together.
At the parade site, along with seeing our school’s marching band and the people of Bayside representing the Irish culture, there are also shops set up for those who’d like to participate and support the local community parade.
The Bayside St Patrick’s Day Parade will be on Saturday, Mar. 29, 2025, on Bell Boulevard. The website also showcases a countdown of the parade, emitting the community’s enthusiasm to express their culture and celebrate this holiday.
More information about the parade can be found on the official Bayside St. Patrick’s Day Parade website.
