What would St. Patrick’s Day be without a parade? Let’s take a look at a few of the celebrations in urban Irish America this year…

NEW YORK CITY

Did you know that the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in New York City on March 17, 1762 by Irish soldiers serving in the British Colonial army?

I bet the parade has changed a bit over the past 251 years. This year the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade will march on Saturday, March 16th. This is the largest parade in the world, and the fun begins at 11:00am, at 44th Street, making its way up Fifth Avenue. The Grand Marshal of this year’s parade is Alfred E. Smith, IV, the great-grandson of legendary New York Governor, Al Smith.

• Visit The New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade website.
• See what they are tweeting about – @OurGreatNYC.

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

The St. Patrick’s Day parade in New Haven, Connecticut has been marching since 1842. Here’s a description of that first parade:

On St.Patrick’s Day March 17, 1842, the procession, headed by the New Haven Blues Band, marched up Chapel Street to York Street to the Catholic Church on Mount Pleasant where Mass was held. After Mass the Hibernian Society marched through State, Elm, York and Chapel Streets to the Exchange Saloon located at the corner of Church and Chapel Streets, where all gathered to sing songs about Ireland and St. Patrick. (The Exchange Saloon was a hall, not a drinking saloon.)

New Haven is getting a head start on the holiday this year – the parade is Sunday, March 10th at 1:30pm.

• Visit the website.
• See what they are tweeting about – @NHSPDParade.

BOSTON

Only once in its 112-year history has the Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade been called off – a blizzard in 1993 kept Bostonians from marching. It must have been a pretty bad snowstorm! This year the parade is scheduled at 1:00pm on Sunday, March 17th and will follow a route on West Broadway through South Boston.

• For more information, visit the parade website.
• Get the latest news on Twitter – @OurGreatBoston.
  

CHICAGO

The Chicago River has turned green for over fifty years on St. Patrick’s Day. This year it will turn “that perfect shade of green” at 10:oo am on Saturday, March 16th. The parade will follow at Noon. Bridget McMahon Fitzgerald is the 2013 St. Patrick’s Day Queen.

Click here for the full story on dyeing the river green.

• Visit the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day website.
• Catch up with their tweets – @OurGreatChicago.

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