It was a day for togetherness!
Hundreds of Brighton Beachers packed the neighborhood’s streets for food, music, and fun for family day on May 7 and the Russian holiday known as Victory Day, which commemorates the former Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany 72 years ago in 1945. The late spring Sunday was unexpectedly cold and rainy, but crowds of revelers still had a ball enjoying the festivities, said a local pol.
“It was a beautiful event. We had people coming from all corners of the district coming out and celebrating,” said Councilman Chaim Deutsch (D–Brighton Beach). “We had a nice crowd considering it was a chilly day.”
The Brighton Beach Business Improvement District — which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year — organized the event, and brought in various singers and dance groups who rocked out on stage, plus local artists, a rock climbing wall, and clowns for the kids.
The Little Odessa community also honored its police officers and local representatives, including Deutsch and Assemblyman Steve Cymbrowitz (D–Brighton Beach). It was beautiful to have the neighborhood come together to celebrate the important Russian holiday, which officially fell two days later on May 9, said Yelena Makhnin, the BID’s executive director.
“It went well, everyone enjoyed it. It was a lot of music, it was family day,” she said. “May 7 was picked because it’s very close to May 9 — for Russians it’s a very big holiday. They congratulate veterans who survived during the war.”
And there’s nothing better than enjoying a Sunday with neighborhood and friends in rain or shine, said Pat Singer, the president of the Brighton Beach Neighborhood Association.
“Bringing the people together, I like that, and it’s very important for us to socialize, bringing everyone together,” said Singer, whose group hosts the end-of-the-summer Brighton Jubilee. “It was a very nice event.”
