Anglophiles can paint the town red — and white, like St. George’s Cross on the English flag — and celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s recent 90th birthday with NYC’s first England Day on Saturday.
The city’s seen Scottish salutes (Tartan Day) and the St. Patrick’s Day and Puerto Rican Day parades, but England had yet to claim a day of its own, says expat Richard Sexton, the event’s co-founder.
But this is more than just a tea party. Saturday marks St. George’s Day, which is celebrated in the UK, and Sexton wanted to honor the holiday with NYC attitude. More than 10 downtown pubs will be decked out with St. George’s Cross while selling fish and chips and English breakfasts. (Go to englandday.nyc for details.)
“We really want to bring English culture to the forefront,” says Sexton, who left England 15 years ago for New York’s Chelsea and a job in real estate.
At 1 p.m., a free, al fresco party kicks off at the Financial District’s Queen Elizabeth II Garden at Hanover Square. Shakespeare fans can channel their inner thespians with a karaoke competition built on the Bard’s quotes, in honor of the 400th anniversary of his death.
While the festivities are free, organizers hope to raise donations for the St. George’s Society of New York, a nonprofit that aids impoverished British immigrants. Appropriately, the four-hour bash will close with a recording of Monty Python’s song “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.”