The Campaign for NY Health has been invited to march in the Phagwah Parade in Richmond Hill Queens!
Sign up to volunteer: march with our banner, hand out flyers to the crowd, petition for signatures and hold healthcare signs
Meet 11am (sign up to receive location).
Parade march 12pm-2pm.
Where - Liberty Avenue and 133rd Street, Richmond Hill, NY 11419
Route: Liberty Avenue and 133rd Street > west on Liberty > north on 125th Street > to Smokey Oval Park at 125th Street. Festival: Music and other cultural performances at Phil Rizutto Park (Smokey Oval Park) after the parade. . Celebration at Smokey Oval Park ends at 6 p.m.
Phagwah, or Holi, is the Indo-Caribbean Hindu celebration of the new year. Indo-Caribbean immigrants from Guyana and Trinidad brought the celebration to Queens, starting the parade in 1990. Every spring, the Sunday after the first full moon of the Hindu calendar, Phagwah literally paints the streets as kids and families "color" one another with dye (abrac) and powder and chase away the winter grays. The spirit — and high-jinks — are like that of Carnival.
It's a typical community parade. Floats carry beauty pageant winners, business owners, and religious and political leaders down Liberty Avenue and over to Smokey Oval Park, where there's a concert.
The difference is the bright red, purple, orange, and green dyes and powders that fill the air and coat the white clothes of revelers.
Take public transportation and save yourself a headache. Parking is very limited in the neighborhood.
- Car: Van Wyck to Liberty Avenue exit or the Atlantic Avenue exit (better). Head west toward Richmond Hill.
- Parking: Try parking on a side street between Liberty and Atlantic, close to Smokey Oval Park, or else on Atlantic. Parking on Liberty is not an option. By noon finding a spot will be very difficult, if not headache inducing.
- Subway: A to Ozone Park-Lefferts Boulevard at Liberty Avenue. Walk east along Liberty.
- Bus: Q8, Q10, Q41, and Q112
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