On Friday, September 18, 2026, the Venetian in Garfield, New Jersey, hosted the 89th Annual Pulaski Parade Banquet—one of the last major events leading up to the parade itself on Fifth Avenue. The special guest of the evening was singer Andrzej Piaseczny “Piasek,” and the organizers formally introduced this year’s Grand Marshal, Dr. Iwona Korga, to the guests.
Who is Dr. Iwona Korga
Dr. Iwona Korga has been associated with the Józef Piłsudski Institute of America for 25 years, where she currently serves as executive director and president. Since 2018, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union (PSFCU), where she currently serves as treasurer. She also teaches at the Polish Saturday school at the Parish of St. Stanislaus Kostka and St. Cyril and Methodius in Greenpoint. For her activities, she has received numerous awards from the Polish authorities, including the Gold Cross of Merit, the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture Gloria Artis, the Medal of the National Education Commission, and, in 2018, the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. In 2025, New York City Mayor Eric Adams presented her with an honorary citation for her work on behalf of the Polish-American community.
Sashing Ceremony at the Consulate
The official sashing ceremony for the new Grand Marshal took place on January 15, 2026, at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York. It was hosted by the Consul General of Poland, Mateusz Sakowicz, and the Chairman of the General Pulaski Memorial Parade Committee, Richard Zawisny. Dr. Korga received her sash from her predecessor, last year’s Grand Marshal Eric Baginski. The ceremony was sponsored by the PSFCU, and the institution’s president, Bogdan Chmielewski, congratulated Dr. Korga at the time, emphasizing that she “combines exceptional traits”—she nurtures Poland’s tradition and history through her work at the Piłsudski Institute, imparts knowledge to the younger generation as a teacher, and cares for the development of the Polish-American community through her work at the PSFCU.
89th Pulaski Parade – October 4 on Fifth Avenue
The parade itself will take place on Sunday, October 4, 2026. The start is scheduled for 12:30 PM, and the route leads up Fifth Avenue from 39th to 51st Street in Manhattan. Over 60 Polish-American groups and organizations will take part in the march, preceded by a Holy Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This year’s parade theme is “For Your Freedom and Ours!” and refers to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States. The event is organized by the General Pulaski Memorial Parade Committee, Inc.
Banquet as the Final Chord of Preparations
The banquet in Garfield has long been one of the most important dates on the calendar before the parade itself—an opportunity for the Polish-American community from New York and New Jersey to meet before the grand march and get to know the person who will lead this year’s parade. The presence of Andrzej Piaseczny as the star of the evening attracted additional attention from Polish-American media on both sides of the Hudson River this year.
For the Polish community in New York, this is a signal that preparations for the 89th edition are entering their decisive phase. The coming weeks will be marked by contingent registrations, band rehearsals, and logistics organization on Fifth Avenue before the actual march begins on October 4.
Polish-American organizations and institutions involved in this year’s parade and other community events can be found in the Polish Pages directory.
