It’s been a good century or so since New Yorkers celebrated Evacuation Day. But in the late 18th and 19th centuries, this holiday—on November 25—was a major deal, marked by festive dinners, parades, and a deep appreciation of the role the city played in the Revolutionary War.
Evacuation Day honors the day in 1783 when the British evacuated New York for good after occupying the city during the War.
Just hours after the Red Coats left, a Union Jack flag was taken down from a flagpole at Battery Park and replaced with the Stars and Stripes. George Washington returned to Manhattan, leading the Continental Army through the city and down Broadway flanked by cheering crowds.
[Images: Wikipedia]
Tags: Evacuation Day 1783, Evacuation Day New York City Holiday, Evacuation Day Paintings, Evacuation Day Revolutionary War
Ephemeral New York 
November 23, 2020 at 7:02 am |
[…] Source: FS – NYC Real Estate Don’t forget New York’s other November holiday […]
November 23, 2020 at 9:31 am |
Isn’t the British flag called the Union Jack?
November 23, 2020 at 2:19 pm |
Yes, fixed that! I left the Jack out.
November 23, 2020 at 9:42 am |
Well, you don’t hear much about this!
Should be a state holiday.
November 23, 2020 at 2:20 pm |
I believe Boston used to celebrate their own evacuation day, but I’m not sure if that, too, has been lost to the ages.
November 23, 2020 at 1:04 pm |
I heard that this day was celebrated into the 1930s.
November 24, 2020 at 7:10 am |
Us Bostonians/Cantabrigians do indeed celebrate Evacuation Day. It is a City holiday, no school, etc. That it happens to fall on the same day as St. Patrick’s Day is a happy local coincidence!
November 25, 2020 at 4:53 am |
The future may hold another New York Holiday (tear down day) established by the Cancel Culture.
November 25, 2020 at 1:38 pm |
Please, don’t even joke about it.
November 29, 2020 at 10:04 am |
Petey is right.
November 30, 2020 at 11:42 am |
Thanks so much for the post! I do really tear up on the thought of being in the streets there during the most amazing, glorious day for the Patriots, in NY history. And to see George Washington! ‘Lost’ history and tradition, indeed.