The NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the world’s largest and oldest St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Between 150,000-200,000 marchers head up Fifth Avenue on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, rain or shine. Around 2 million people watch.
Asturian, Galician, and Basque Spaniards march in the Parade because of their shared Celtic heritage including kilts, bagpipes, and more.
265th NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2026 Honorees
This year’s Grand Marshal is Robert J. “Bob” McCann, a finance executive and Chairman of the Irish Arts Center.
How to See the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2026 marches up Fifth Avenue from 44th St to 79th St; from 11am to around 5pm. FREE. ☘️ 🇮🇪
The best viewing location is around St. Patrick’s Cathedral. There are smaller crowds farther up Fifth Avenue between 70th and 79th streets.
For a front row view, go as early as 8am. Easy on the coffee because there are no special public restrooms on the route. It’s best to go with a friend so one can hold the spot, while the other takes bathroom breaks.
You can watch the live broadcast on NBC 4 New York, starting at 11am.
Times Square Shindig
“Shindig” is an old, probably Irish slang for a party with live music.
The NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade Times Square Shindig features Celtic Woman, Emer Dunne, Celtic Tenors, and the McLean Avenue Band; on Broadway between 46th and 47th St in Times Square, Manhattan; from 9am – 2pm. FREE. ☘️ 🇮🇪
History
The NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade was started in 1762 by homesick Irish soldiers serving in the British Army. That was 14 years before the American Declaration of Independence.
The Fighting 69th Irish American Regiment of the U.S. Army leads the Parade as they have since 1851. They originally joined the Parade to protect marchers from anti-immigrant protesters. The more things change, the more things stay the same.
The first recorded St. Patrick’s Day Parade was held in the Spanish colony of St. Augustine, Florida in 1601. The Colony was populated by Spanish soldiers, Africans (free and enslaved), Native Americans, and other Europeans. It was only discovered in old records in Spain in 2017.