TRAVEL: Saint Patrick's Day in Some Major U.S. Cities

Saint Patrick’s Day in Some Major U.S. Cities 

By Jorge Jefferds March 9, 2015 

Saint Patrick became a cleric, served as an ordained bishop in Northern Ireland, wrote two famous letters about his missionary life. However, there’s no source that demonstrate he liked partying, drinking, and having hot fun. Anyway, the Irish patron doesn’t seem to be bothered by the way Western countries commemorate his mission and Ireland. The United States are not the exception to the rule. Review these cities program, and make your own conclusions on where you would love to think of the saint, celebrating with a little bit of sin.

Chicago, IL

The Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on Saturday, March 14^th. They will perform the 60^th anniversary of their traditional festivity. Beginning at 12 p.m. noon, the parade will be broadcast live by ABC-Channel 7. The Parade route will begin on the corner of Columbus Drive, and Balbo, continuing North to Monroe. The organizers will dye the Chicago River at 9:15 a.m. the day of the parade. For over 40 years, the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers turn the Chicago River green for the St. Patrick's Day Parade celebration. One would ask how this is different from the rest of the year when the river is always a murky shade of green. The difference is both significant, and breathtaking, because the color green is identical to the greens of Ireland from where it got its name The Emerald Isle.

 

New York City, NY

The New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade is the country’s oldest, and proudest Irish tradition, marching for the first time more than 250 years ago, on March 17, 1762 - fourteen years before the Declaration of Independence. Today, the NYC Saint Patrick’s Day Parade is a registered as a non-profit organization. For 254 years they have marched up 5th Ave thanks entirely to the generous support of thousands people. The Parade will start at 44th Street at 11 a.m., and is usually held every March 17th. When March 17th falls on a Sunday, it is celebrated the day before, Saturday the 16th, due to religious observances. The parade marches up Fifth Avenue past St. Patrick's Cathedral at 50th Street all the way up 79^th Street and the Irish Historical Society, where the parade finishes around 4:30 - 5:00 pm. To this day, the St. Patrick's Day Parade remains true to its roots as a true marchers Parade by not allowing floats, automobiles and other commercial aspects in the Parade. Every year the Parade Committee hosts the 150,000- 250,000 marchers, along with many great bands; bagpipes, high school bands and the ever-present politicians in front of the approx 2 million spectators lining Fifth Avenue. The Parade is televised for four hours on WNBC Channel Four to over a million and a half households and was web streamed for the first time in 2008.

San Francisco, CA

The West Coast’s largest Irish event celebrating Irish history and culture, the 164th Annual San Francisco St. Patrick’s DayParade and Festival, attracts some 100,000 revelers every year and is one of the city’s most popular events. The Parade will start at the corner of Market and Second Streets where over 100 colorful floats, Irish dance troupes and marching bands will wind their way to Civic Center Plaza. The colorful festivities surrounding the parade will showcase Irish Culture through live performance and entertainment, arts and crafts exhibitors, food and beverage concessions, children’s rides and inflatable, cultural displays, a petting zoo and pony ride and a number of non-profits booths representing the Irish community.

Boston, MA

Boston’s bad weather conditions will not stop the celebrations. South Boston is organizing the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade brought to you by the Allied War Veteran’s Council on March 15, 2015. Listed as the second largest parade in the country, the event is viewed by nearly 600,000 to one million people every year; in addition to having the entire parade seen on Live TV. According to history sources, Bostonians started to perform the parade on March 17, 1776. General John Henry Knox brought the 55 cannons captured at Fort Ticonderoga. In military position, the troops positioned them in Dorchester Heights. They cut down trees to cannon size, hollow them out and blacken them over fire to look like cannons. Surprise was just over the corner. Orders were given that if anyone of them wished to pass through the continental lines, the password was “St. Patrick.” the British had seen all the cannons on the Heights, and left Boston.

The parade will begin at one o’clock and can be seen along West Broadway, East Broadway, E 4st Street, and East 5^th Street.

Dallas, TX

With Texas Tortillas Queens, thousands of revelers are getting ready for the Dallas St. Patrick’s Day Parade. With long-stemmed pink roses on their laps, the queens toss thousands of tortillas into a packed crowd that gathers along Greenville Avenue for the Dallas Mavericks St. Patrick’s Parade & Festival. The long-running event will continue this year on Saturday March 14th. At 11 o’clock, they will gather at the intersection of Greenville with Blackwell Street. The event is going to be a 2 mile route, where more than 90 Parade Floats Entries will display, and more than 1,700 participants are expected to celebrate. Presented by the Greenville Avenue Area Business Association, the proceeds will benefit the GAABA Scholarship Fund. On average, $72,000 has been awarded to Dallas ISD students.