The 263rd New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade stepped off on Saturday, marching up Fifth Avenue with the familiar sights and sounds of an Irish tradition hundreds of years old.
Manhattan’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which dates to 1762 — 14 years before the U.S. Declaration of Independence — is one of the world’s largest Irish heritage festivities.
Megan Stransky of Houston and two relatives planned a Broadway weekend to coincide with the parade, seeing it as a prime opportunity to remember their family’s Irish roots and the traditions that helped shape their upbringing.
The event didn’t disappoint.
“There is no comparison to any other parade or city that I’ve been to,” Stransky marveled as she took in the bagpipers, bands, police and military contingents and more.
The grand marshal, Irish-born Heineken USA CEO Maggie Timoney, is the first female CEO of a major U.S. beer company. At a pre-parade reception at New York’s mayoral residence, Irish Minister for Justice Helen McEntee hailed the recognition for Timoney and noted some other causes for celebrating Irish American links this year, including Irish actor Cillian Murphy’s best actor Oscar win last weekend.
New York City has multiple parades on various dates around its five boroughs — including, on Sunday, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade allowing LGBTQ+ groups to march on Staten Island.
Mayor Eric Adams last month announced the plan for the new, privately organized celebration, arranged after a local organization asked for years to join the borough’s decades-old parade. That longstanding event, which does not allow groups to march under LGBTQ+ banners, happened earlier this month.
The Manhattan parade began allowing LGBTQ+ groups and symbols in 2015, after decades of protests, legal challenges and boycotts by some politicians.
The parade is regarded as the most popular of the all the parades in New York City, and honors Saint Patrick – the patron Saint of the Archdiocese of New York and Ireland. The Manhattan consists only of marchers and each year hosts some 250,000 marchers and two million spectators.
The parade hosts many outstanding marching bands, bagpipers in marching formations, high-school and college bands from throughout the United States and from all over the world.
Miss the excitement of the parade? We have a full recap here.
Watch the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2024
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About New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The New York City St. Patrick’s Parade marched for the first time in 1762, fourteen years before the Declaration of Independence was signed in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. The Parade is regarded as the most popular of the all the Parades in New York City, and honors Saint Patrick – the patron Saint of the Archdiocese of New York and Ireland. The New York Parade consists only of marchers and each year hosts some 250,000 marchers and two million spectators. The Parade has many outstanding marching bands, bagpipers in marching formations, high-school and college bands from throughout the United States and from all over the world. The occasion is televised live to millions of households nationwide for four hours by host station WNBC. The broadcast is webcast live via the internet through the Parade’s web site at NYCStPatricksParade.Org and through WNBC’s web site at www.nbcnewyork.com.
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