Saint Patrick's Day Parade, New York City
The New York City St. Patrick’s Parade is the oldest and largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the world. The first parade was held on March 17, 1762 — fourteen years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade takes place on St. Patrick’s Day, which is Thursday March 17, 2017. The procession starts at 11am and ends around 5pm. The parade begins at 44th Street, marching up Fifth Avenue—past St. Patrick's Cathedral at 50th Street—all the way to 79th Street. It finishes at the American Irish Historical Society at East 80th Street. The parade marches along Fifth Avenue and passes by venerable New York attractions such as St. Patrick's Cathedral and Central Park.
Irish societies joined together at their respective meeting places and moved in a procession toward St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, St. James Church, or one of the many other Roman Catholic churches in the City. Approximately 150,000 people march in the parade which draws about 2 million spectators.
From its earliest days, right up to the present, the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been run entirely by volunteers, many of whom come from generations of families dedicated to the organization of the parade. It takes months of preparation and countless hours to run the world’s oldest and largest parade. We could not do it without the commitment of these great women and men.