NEW YORK—The 100th anniversary commemoration of the Armenian Genocide will be held in Times Square (43rd St. and Broadway) on April 26, beginning at 1:45 p.m. This historic event will pay tribute to the 1.5 million Armenians who were massacred by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire and to the millions of victims of subsequent genocides worldwide.
A scene from the 2014 commemoration in Times Square
The Divine Liturgy and Times Square program will begin with church services at 10 am at St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral, located at 630 Second Ave. at 34th St. His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian will serve as celebrant and His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan as homilist. The procession to Times Square will start at 12 p.m. and the program, which will feature speakers from the political, media, and scholarly fields, will begin at 1:45 p.m. Acclaimed Armenian-American musician Sebu Simonian from the Los Angeles-based indie pop band “Capital Cities” will be a guest performer, while Dr. Stephen Smith, executive director of the USC Shoah Foundation, will serve as keynote speaker. The Areni Choir will also take part in the commemoration.
For parishes organizing transportation to New York, buses should drop off passengers at 2nd Ave. and park on 35th St. (between 1st and 2nd Ave.). Buses will depart for Times Square following services and park on 42nd St. (between 6th Ave. and Broadway). Passengers will be picked up from Times Square (at 43rd St. and Broadway, between 4:30 and 5 p.m.) Sandwiches will be available after services. All events will move forward, rain or shine.
For more information, contact Edward Barsamian (procession) at (347) 556-2666; Leo Manuelian (buses) at (917) 418-3940; Sona Manuelian (buses) at (551) 427-8763; Edward Boladian (floats) at (917) 885-0221; and Tigran Sahakyan (volunteers) at (212) 444-8003.
The 2015 Genocide Commemoration in Times Square is organized by the Mid-Atlantic Knights and Daughters of Vartan in affiliation with the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of America (Eastern Region).
This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.april24nyc.com.
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