At the Invasion of the Pines, 2012. An annual tradition, drag queens from nearby Cherry Grove on Fire Island arrive by the ferry and walk down the red carpet. The event began after a group of cross dressers were turned away at a lady's night event at the Pines, with the blunt dismissal that they were not real girls. In protest, a small band staged an invasion by water the following year. Every year the invasion has grown till now, when about 500 queens arrived together.
