Boston Rules Parade Scene, But Why Isn’t Our River Green?
Discover the four biggest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the world.
It’s a big parade week for our planet.
And Boston is at the top of the heap. The four biggest St. Patrick’s Day parades, according to The Irish Times, are in New York City, Dublin, Ireland, Sydney, Australia, and right here in Boston.
This year’s parade was extra special in Boston, and not just because of the insane snowbanks. Gay and lesbian groups made history when they marched Sunday for the first time in our parade’s 114-year-old history.
We take a look at the four biggest St. Patrick’s Day parade hot spots as well as some honorable mentions (because dyeing your river green most definitely deserves a shout out, Chicago).
Boston:
LGBT community advocacy group Boston Pride marched in Sunday’s parade for the first time.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston draws up to 1 million spectators each year. And for the first time, two gay and lesbian groups marched in this year’s parade, making history and ending a 20-year mayoral boycott. Mayor Marty Walsh was the first mayor to march in two decades because, until now, gay rights groups have been barred by the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council. Check out more photos from Sunday’s parade.
New York City:
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New York City has been getting its St. Patrick’s Day parade on since 1762 — fourteen years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Nowadays, the parade on Fifth Avenue includes 150,000 to 250,000 marchers, according to nycstpatricksparade.org. And it draws 2 million spectators, making it the Top Dog of the St. Paddy’s Day celebrations.
Dublin, Ireland:
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In Dublin, the St. Patrick’s Day parade is part of a four-day festival, with live music, arts, food, and many cultural events taking place throughout the city. Nearly 1 million people celebrate, turning it into Ireland’s largest street carnival.
Sydney, Australia:
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The Sydney St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the fourth largest in the world, draws 80,000 spectators. This year’s theme? “Celebrating Life.’’
Sydney gets into the spirit by tinting its city lights green. There is plenty of pre-parade music and dancing and a main stage hosts several local Irish bands and musicians. There is a children’s area, food and merchandise vendors, and more.
Honorable mention — Chicago, Illinois:
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About 200,000 people attend Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which takes place beside a green river. Officials have been dumping 45 pounds of eco-friendly vegetable dye into the Chicago River for the past 50 years to turn it green for St. Paddy’s Day. And there’s a river-dyeing ceremony to boot. The ceremony is held just before the St. Patrick’s Day parade because the dye only lasts five hours, according to choosechicago.com. Why don’t we do this? Who’s up for turning the Charles River green next year?
Honorable mention — Tokyo, Japan:
An Irish setter wearing a Michael Jackson costume took part in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Tokyo this year.
Did you know the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Tokyo are getting bigger by the year? This year, about 30,000 revelers attended the annual parade in Tokyo, reports The Irish Times. The parade included flags, floats, Irish dancers, leprechauns, and Irish dog breeds (including a pooch dressed as … Michael Jackson).
And the Japanese celebration of all things Irish doesn’t stop there. According to the Irish Network of Japan , which promotes Ireland’s culture, traditions, and people in Japan, there are several Irish festivals around Japan this time of year to boot.
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