Parade Grand Marshalls pose for a photograph before the 264th New York City Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, Monday, March 17, 2025 in New York. Associated Press
NEW YORK — St. Patrick’s Day, the annual celebration of all things Irish, was marked across the United States on Monday with boisterous parades and festivities.
Across the pond, the Irish capital of Dublin culminated its three-day festival with a parade. Cities such as Liverpool, England, another city transformed by Irish immigration, also hosted celebrations on St. Patrick’s feast day.
School marching bands and traditional Irish pipe and drum ensembles ambled down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue with uniformed delegations from the police and fire departments in New York City, which hosts one of the nation’s largest and oldest parades.
As a light morning rain fell, the rolling celebration made its way north past designer shops and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a stunning Neo Gothic landmark that’s the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of New York.
Mayor Eric Adams donned a green cap and scarf and waved an Irish flag while Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan greeted marchers wearing a green, white and orange sash -- the national colors of the Emerald Isle.
“It’s fantastic to be here,” said Ryan Hanlon, vice chairman of the parade’s board of directors. “We’re getting a little bit of rain at the moment, but as we Irish call it, it’s just liquid sunshine.”
The New York celebration, now in its 264th year, date to 1762 — 14 years before the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The parade was scheduled to last through the afternoon, ending on the east side of Central Park, about 35 blocks from where it started.
That’s much, much longer than the 98-foot route in the resort town of Hot Springs, Ark., which claims it hosts the World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
And in Savannah, thousands of revelers in gaudy green costumes crowded sidewalks and oak-shaded squares as the South’s largest St. Patrick’s Day parade wound through the historic Georgia city. This parade marked its 200th anniversary a year ago, tracing its origins to the day Irish immigrants marched to church in March 1824.
Lindsey Dodd, who’s been coming to Savannah’s parade for about 15 years, sported green hair braids, green lipstick and shamrock-decorated socks as her group set up chairs in a prime spot for parade-watching. Children tooted plastic horns and grown ups raised their beers as pipe and drum bands marched and pickup trucks towed shamrock-decorated floats.
“I just enjoy the festivities, people watching, the chaos,” Dodd said. “There’s just something special about Savannah.”
Some other American cities transformed by Irish immigration held festivities over the weekend. Chicago, turning its namesake river bright green with dye, celebrated Saturday. Boston and Philadelphia held their parades on Sunday. And the water in the White House fountain was dyed green, a tradition started by President Barack Obama.
The parades are meant to commemorate Ireland’s patron saint but have become a celebration of Irish heritage globally since they were initially popularized by Irish immigrant communities to show solidarity in times of discrimination and opposition in the U.S.
A man on a float encourages the crowd to cheer louder during the St. Patrick's Day parade, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Boston, Mass. Associated Press
The Chicago River is dyed green as part of annual St. Patrick's Day festivities Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Chicago. Associated Press
A Shriner motors by the crowd during the St. Patrick's Day parade, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Boston, Mass. Associated Press
The Chicago River is dyed green as part of annual St. Patrick's Day festivities Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Chicago. Associated Press
A drummer performs during the St. Patrick's Day parade, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Boston, Mass. Associated Press
The Chicago River is dyed green as part of annual St. Patrick's Day festivities Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Chicago. Associated Press
A sheet metal worker high-fives the crowd during the St. Patrick's Day parade, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Boston, Mass. Associated Press
The fountain on the North Lawn of the White House is dyed green for St. Patrick's Day in Washington, Monday, March 17, 2025. Associated Press
Vice President JD Vance, third left, joins Ireland's Taoiseach Micheal Martin, left, during a bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump ahead of the White House St Patrick's Day reception, Wednesday March 12, 2025, in Washington. PA via AP
Tommy McCarthy and his wife Louise Costello, owners of the Burren Pub, play an Irish tune, Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Somerville, Mass. Associated Press
Spectators watch the St. Patrick's Day parade from a balcony, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Boston, Mass. Associated Press
A man dressed as a leprechaun slaps hands with the crowd during the St. Patrick's Day parade, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Boston, Mass. Associated Press
The Chicago River is dyed green as part of annual St. Patrick's Day festivities Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Chicago. Associated Press
Savannah College of Art and Design student Abby Cooper celebrates with her friends during the St. Patrick's Day parade, Monday, March 17, 2025, in Savannah, Ga. Associated Press
People wave flags during the 264th New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade, Monday, March 17, 2025 in New York. Associated Press
U.S. Army Ranger Staff Sgt. Patrick Ortland, left, gets a hug from his mother Bernadette Ortland during the St. Patrick's Day, Monday, March 17, 2025, in Savannah, Ga. Associated Press
Bands march in the 264th New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade, Monday, March 17, 2025 in New York. Associated Press
A child marches in the 264th New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade, Monday, March 17, 2025 in New York. Associated Press
Bands march in the 264th New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade, Monday, March 17, 2025 in New York. Associated Press
New York State Police march in the 264th New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade, Monday, March 17, 2025 in New York. Associated Press
Protestors shout during the 264th New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade, Monday, March 17, 2025 in New York. Associated Press
Nora Devaney, 77, of the Donegal Association of New York, marching for her 61st year in a row, looks on during the 264th New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade, Monday, March 17, 2025 in New York. Associated Press
Floral Park police officers drink Guinness in Megans Bar and Kitchen during the 264th New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade, Monday, March 17, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Crowds watch the 264th New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade, Monday, March 17, 2025 in New York. Associated Press
Michael Popovich from Houston, wears a tiny leprechaun hat he got from his niece during the St. Patrick's Day parade, Monday, March 17, 2025, in Savannah, Ga. Associated Press
People attend the St Patrick's Day Parade in Belfast, Monday, March 17, 2025. PA via AP
A participant smiles during the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Montreal, Sunday, March 16, 2025. The Canadian Press via AP
Britain's Kate, the Princess of Wales, drinks Guinness during a reception with the Irish Guards, at a special St Patrick's Day parade and celebration at Wellington Barracks in London, Monday, March 17, 2025. Pool Photo via AP
A group of local residents shout at group of cheerleaders during the St. Patrick's Day parade, Monday, March 17, 2025, in Savannah, Ga. Associated Press
Lord Mayor of Belfast Micky Murray takes part in the St Patrick's Day Parade in Belfast, Monday, March 17, 2025. PA via AP
