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Anniversary Day is an old NYC Schools Tradition

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Anniversary Day, on the first Thursday in June, is a New York City Schools holiday that commemorates the founding of the first Sunday schools in Brooklyn. As New Yorkers have become less religious, the holiday lost its religious meaning, but is still with us.

Brooklyn-Queens Day

The tradition began as Brooklyn-Queens Day. Locals would take off the school day for a Bedford Avenue parade. The first Queens parade was in 1829. The 1890 parade drew about 75,000 children.

When Brooklyn joined New York City in 1898, the Board of Education ignored the holiday, but Brooklynites did it anyway. The celebration became African-American as Brooklyn became more African-American.

Anniversary Day Parade, Brooklyn 1944. (Howard Hollem/Library of Congress)
Anniversary Day Parade, Brooklyn 1944. (Howard Hollem/Library of Congress)

Governor Nelson D. Rockefeller formalized Brooklyn-Queens Day in 1959, although it was still only celebrated in Brooklyn and Queens. The holiday became citywide in 2005.

Anniversary Day 2021

Thursday, June 3, 2021 ~ It’s another Anniversary Day in New York City.

Anniversary Day 2020

New York City schools are closed to fight the COVID-19 Coronavirus epidemic. Teachers have a development day. Students are supposed to do independent study. Good luck with that!

schools.nyc.gov

Anniversary Day 2019

In 2019, there was a parade from Irving Square Park in Bushwick at 10am.

Anniversary Day Parade, Brooklyn 1944. (Howard Hollem/Library of Congress)
Anniversary Day Parade, Brooklyn 1944. (Howard Hollem/Library of Congress)

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