{"id":201213,"date":"2026-04-17T21:28:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T21:28:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/201213\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T21:28:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T21:28:41","slug":"how-the-boroughs-twilight-march-became-a-fifth-avenue-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/201213\/","title":{"rendered":"How the borough\u2019s twilight march became a Fifth Avenue tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Gotham\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Gotham Cheer performs during Brooklyn Pride\u2019s 2024 twilight march.<\/p>\n

Donna Aceto<\/p>\n

By now, queer Brooklynites know the routine: On the second Saturday of June, folks flock to Brooklyn\u2019s Fifth Avenue \u2014 with dogs and lawn chairs in tow \u2014 and get in position for the annual twilight Brooklyn Pride<\/a> March just before the sun prepares to dip below the horizon.<\/p>\n

But that wasn\u2019t always the routine.\n<\/p>\n

In 1996, there was no such thing as Brooklyn Pride. But several Brooklyn residents \u2014 led in large part by Jerry Allred and Sonia Galarza, who went on to be the original chairs of Brooklyn Pride \u2014 put their heads together to pave the way for a major Pride event to take over the city\u2019s most populous borough. After all, the Queens Pride Parade and Multicultural Festival had already established a presence in the neighboring borough for several years. A document from Brooklyn Pride\u2019s 20th anniversary in 2016 notes that Dale Gates was also one of the individuals who helped get Brooklyn Pride off the ground.<\/p>\n

The following year, on June 14, 1997, Brooklyn hosted its first-ever Pride Parade and multicultural festival, which kicked off at Third Street and Fifth Avenue and concluded at Prospect Park, according to Mickey Heller, who is Brooklyn Pride\u2019s co-chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were a lot of great relationships between people from Queens and Brooklyn,\u201d Heller said in a recent interview with Gay City News. \u201cAnd then, after Queens started, Brooklyn felt it was time to have our own.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe cover of Brooklyn Pride\u2019s first pride guide in 1997.<\/p>\n

Heller, an attorney and Bronx native who has spent several decades living in Brooklyn, first became involved with Brooklyn Pride in 2007 and 2008 when he was asked to drive former Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz\u2019s parade float. From there, Heller volunteered in different capacities with Brooklyn Pride before ultimately taking on a leadership role as co-chair in 2012 \u2014 the same role he holds today. Heller is the longest-serving board member or chair of Brooklyn Pride.<\/p>\n

\"BrooklynBrooklyn Pride co-chair Mickey Heller and Attorney General Letitia James at Brooklyn Pride on June 14, 2025.Donna Aceto<\/p>\n

While Brooklyn Pride is known to have the city\u2019s only twilight Pride Parade, that wasn\u2019t exactly by choice. After Brooklyn Pride\u2019s first year, the board decided the event should be held at night \u2014 partly because they couldn\u2019t have it on Sundays, as many other Prides do, because the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade takes place the following day.<\/p>\n

No matter how or why it came to be, the twilight aspect has helped shape the parade\u2019s identity and contributed to its community-driven atmosphere. Families and friends line the parade route along Fifth Avenue, nearby residents take in the festivities from their windows and fire escapes, and locals spill out of nearby establishments like Ginger\u2019s and Good Judy \u2014 all in the spirit of Pride.<\/p>\n

\"CrowdsCrowds hover around Ginger\u2019s Bar at Brooklyn Pride in 2023.Donna Aceto<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople can come up to us and say they appreciate that we don\u2019t have barricades,\u201d Heller said. \u201cPeople can come up, the people marching can say hi, and it\u2019s such a good, congenial atmosphere that people have an incredible time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The annual parade typically follows an action-packed day at the festival, which features vendors, dancers, cheerleaders, food, and music. The festival, in fact, has been such an integral part of Brooklyn Pride that when the parade was canceled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival still went on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AzekiAzeki M-J Ali, 20, at Brooklyn Pride for the first time in 2021.Matt Tracy<\/p>\n

Over time, Brooklyn Pride expanded beyond the twilight march and festival. It currently includes events like a 5K run and a special Brooklyn Cyclones Pride Night package, through which the Mets\u2019 single-A minor league affiliate donates a portion of its ticket proceeds to Brooklyn Pride. Movie nights, comedy nights, and even stargazing events are among Brooklyn Pride\u2019s other offerings.<\/p>\n

\"AllAll smiles at Brooklyn Pride\u2019s twilight march in 2019 \u2014 pre-COVID.Donna Aceto<\/p>\n

Now, three decades after its debut, Brooklyn Pride is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a special gala<\/a> at the Dyker Beach Golf Course Catering Hall on April 18. The event also serves as a fundraiser for Brooklyn Pride, which has sought to maintain tighter budgets over the years to remain financially stable \u2014 a key factor at a time when many other Prides, like NYC Pride, have experienced financial hardship and anti-LGBTQ backlash.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of the founders and other people throughout the years, we\u2019ve been very fortunate to be very frugal,\u201d Heller said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t rely on city dollars, and we didn\u2019t rely on huge amounts of money. Everyone is a volunteer, and because of that, we have not really experienced the financial hardship that some of the other Pride organizations have experienced. Sponsors have stayed on, for the most part.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BrooklynBrooklyn Pride\u2019s guide in 1999.Brooklyn Pride<\/p>\n

This year, the Brooklyn Cyclones Pride Night game is slated to take place on June 12 \u2014 the day before Brooklyn Pride\u2019s main event. On June 13, the Brooklyn Pride LGBTQIA+ 5K Run\/Walk takes place from 10 a.m. to noon, while the multicultural festival kicks off at 11 a.m. and continues throughout the afternoon. The annual Brooklyn Pride Twilight Parade will, as usual, begin at precisely 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

\"LongtimeLongtime LGBTQ activist Randy Wicker with friend Michael Gerdowski at Brooklyn Pride in 2022.Donna Aceto<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not a 19-hour parade; we start at 7:30 sharp every year since I\u2019ve been there, and we finish no later than 10 o\u2019clock,\u201d Heller said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Get out to Brooklyn on June 13 and celebrate Pride \u2014 and bring your family, friends, and dogs.\n<\/p>\n

Below, see some more Brooklyn Pride photos from over the years. Click here<\/a> to read our coverage of last year\u2019s edition of Brooklyn Pride.<\/p>\n

\"BrooklynBrooklyn Pride\u2019s board in 2015.Brooklyn Pride
\n\"\"All pink and all smiles at Brooklyn Pride in 2022.Donna Aceto
\n\"BrooklynBrooklyn Pride\u2019s 20th anniversary year in 2016.Donna Aceto
\n\"DykesDykes on Bike, with messages of support for trans rights and abortion rights, roar along Fifth Avenue in 2024.Donna Aceto
\n\"InIn June of 2022, Brooklyn Pride\u2019s twilight march returned for the first time since 2019.Matt Tracy
\n\"LongtimeLongtime LGBTQ activist Randy Wicker with friend Michael Gerdowski at Brooklyn Pride in 2022.Donna Aceto
\n\"SirensSirens NYC get ready to rev their engines at 2023 Brooklyn Pride.Donna Aceto<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gotham Cheer performs during Brooklyn Pride\u2019s 2024 twilight march. Donna Aceto By now, queer Brooklynites know the routine:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":201214,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,63],"class_list":{"0":"post-201213","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn","8":"tag-brooklyn","9":"tag-brooklyn-headlines","10":"tag-brooklyn-news","11":"tag-new-york","12":"tag-new-york-city","13":"tag-nyc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}