A 4th Of July Fire Island Tradition - The Invasion Of The Pines
The Fire Island Invasion is an event that all began as a protest against the discrimination faced by Terry Warren, who was dressed in drag, and was refused service in the Fire Island Pines. The Fire Island Pines at the time was a more conservative and affluent gay beach community. When Warren's friends in Cherry Grove heard what had happened, they too dressed in drag, and on July 4, 1976 with Cherry Grove's 1976 Homecoming Queen Thom Hansen (aka Panzi) leading the group, sailed into the Pines Harbor by water taxi. The small boatload of drag queens stormed the Pines that day for the first "invasion".
Now, many years later, the annual Fourth of July Invasion of the Pines attracts hundreds of drag queens and thousands of spectators to what has become an annual Independence Day event. But these days it is not a water taxi but a full ferry.
This is what caught my eye; I hope you enjoy!
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What you should know:
There is no on the street parking near the ferry, only parking lot options, and parking at the ferry terminal in Sayville can get very crowded. You can try parking at the Sayville LIRR train station and taking the shuttle to the ferry.
There are quite a few options for food and drink in both the Grove and the Pines.
You could spend a couple of hours to the entire day here enjoying the festivities.
There is no charge for the event, but there is a charge for the ferry.
From locations west, you can take Long Island Railroad from Grand Central and Penn Station to Sayville station and then board a shuttle to the ferry dock.
Location: Cherry Grove & Fire Island Pines
For more information: Sayville Ferry Schedule, Cherry Grove, and Fire Island Pines
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