The furor came to a peak last year when the newly-elected Mayor Bill de Blasio decided to boycott the parade – the first mayor to do so since David Dinkins – and Guinness, a main sponsor, withdrew its support once it was evident no compromise would be reached in time for the 2014 parade. Patrick's Day parades that are defying the pandemicīut the most enduring conflict has been between the parade’s organizing committee and members of New York City’s LGBT Irish community, who since 1991 have sought to march in the parade under their own banner.
