On a beautiful Friday afternoon in the Big Apple, a crowd of thousands of New Yorkers swarmed the streets of Midtown Manhattan for a very special occasion. Within the sky-high buildings of the city, a parade of hundreds of bands, dancers, bagpipers, first responders, and even fire trucks gathered along Fifth Avenue to spread cheer and spirit for the special holiday of Saint Patrick’s Day. And right there, near the front of the entire line, was the Emerson High School Marching Band and Color Guard.

Being that Saint Patrick was the Patron Saint of Ireland and the Archdiocese of New York, residents of the city take the holiday very seriously. If you find yourself in the city on March 17th, you won’t be able to look more than ten feet without seeing flashes of flags, gold coins, and red hair. 

To celebrate not only this monumental day, but also how special it is to live so close to one of the largest cities on Earth, it would be a waste not to take advantage of such a special opportunity. The New York City Saint Patrick’s Day Parade currently boasts an impressive fact: it is not only the oldest, having started all the way back in 1762, but the longest Saint Patty’s Day parade in the world!

It was close to 60 degrees on Friday, March 17, when the performers walked out of school to enter a giant Coach bus. Surprisingly; traffic on the Turnpike was very low. There was a wonderful view of the city skyline as the bus turned onto Route 495 and passed underwater through the Lincoln Tunnel. For a brief moment, darkness fluttered the bus, leaving students in suspense. Once they exited the tunnel, the performers described it as if they just went through a portal. New York City looked as gorgeous and magnificent as ever.

The band got there just past 11 a.m. for a 12 p.m. go-time, and were dropped off on Madison Ave near 40th street, where they took an hour to warm up, go over the music, and observe and appreciate the effort being put into this event, by other bands and performers. When it was time to go, the band was directed onto 5th Avenue northbound, and marched for an hour and a half to 79th street, where they turned off to head back home.

Michael Lione, the director of EJSHS’s Marching Band, always finds the experience to be a memorable tradition. “The Marching Band previously performed in the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 1971 and from 2011-2017 before returning to the parade in 2023. It is our hope to perform at the parade in 2024 and beyond,” Lione said. 

Band and color guard members spent long hours tuning, practicing, and performing before the seventeenth. One of their rehearsals even included a march around the school parking lot. They had to be sure to give it their all – what with the chance of being televised. 

Sadly, the band did not make it to the big screen, on live television, as it seemed like CBS cut to commercials right as it was their turn. But, they were caught on virtually every Youtube livestreams and can be seen performing there!

What’s next for the EJSHS marching band, you ask? “The next event for the Marching Band will be performing at the NYC Greek Independence Day Parade on Sunday, April 30th. The parade will be broadcasted on Channel 9 from 3:00-5:00 pm that day,” says Lione. 

Sources:

Beirne, Hilary. “About The NYC St Patrick’s Day Parade.” The NYC St Patrick’s Day Parade, https://www.nycstpatricksparade.org/about/.