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Top 10 St Patrick’s Day Parade Around the World

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St Patrick’s Day is a religious and cultural celebration held each year on March, 17th. It celebrates the most famous patron saint of Ireland. However, today, people celebrate this day all around the world. With that in mind, check out the top 10 St Patrick’s day Parade around the world.

10. Chicago

st patrick's day parade

One of the most famous St Patrick’s Day parade takes places in Chicago, Illinois. In fact, the Irish community in the city is quite large and make up a big part of the city’s celebration. Some of the most popular things to see during the celebration is when they dye the Chicago River green as well as the large South Side Parade.[1]Wilstar – ST. PATRICK’S DAY – THE HISTORY AND TRADITIONS OF ST. PATTY’S DAY

9. Buenos Aires

st patrick's day parade

Buenos Aires, Argentina is the home to the largest St Patrick’s Day parade in all of South America. Mixing in both Argentinian as well as Irish traditions, the parade and street festival is filled with music, dances by Celtic Argentina, as well as lots of beer![2]HuffPost – St. Patrick’s Day Traditions Around the World

8. Scranton

st patrick's day parade

Scranton, Pennsylvania’s St Patrick’s Day parade is one of the most popular and largest parades with over 150,000 participants each year. In addition, it also happens to be one of the oldest ones as well, being founded in 1862.[3]Wilstar – ST. PATRICK’S DAY – THE HISTORY AND TRADITIONS OF ST. PATTY’S DAY This parade is definitely one of the best ones to visit for St Patrick’s Day.

7. Istanbul

st patrick's day parade

You might be surprised to find that one of the best places to go for St Patrick’s Day is actually in Turkey. In fact, the center of Irish festivities can be found in Istanbul, Turkey near the center of the city’s best nightlife. You can find the epicenter at James Joyce Pub. This place is known for Irish music, dance, traditional foods, and authentic Irish colorful atmosphere.[4]HuffPost – St. Patrick’s Day Traditions Around the World

6. Singapore

st patrick's day parade

Similar to Chicago, the river in Singapore is also dyed green for the largest St Patrick’s Day parade in Southeast Asia. Here the revelers wear green and orange. The parade is led by a motorcycle convoy through the streets of the city. In addition, the St Patrick’s Society of Singapore also holds a ball with Irish beer, music, and dancing![5]HuffPost – St. Patrick’s Day Traditions Around the World

5. Auckland

st patrick's day parade

Auckland, New Zealand is the largest city in the New Zealand Daylight Time zone. As such, it is actually the first city in the world to kick off the St Patrick’s Day celebrations. Celebrations are actually a multi-day affair usually between March 5th to 12th. Events include the Auckland Irish Society Fair, Emerald ball, Auckland Gaelic Athletic Association Championships, as well as a large parade.[6]HuffPost – St. Patrick’s Day Traditions Around the World

4. Sydney

st patrick's day parade

Sydney, Australia is the home to the largest St Patrick’s Day parade and celebrations in the Southern hemisphere. It has over 80,000 attendees each year. In addition, to the parade, there the festivities also feature family activities, local artisans, marching bands, and Celtic dancers. One of the things that make this celebration so unique is that it is the only celebration outside of Ireland that is actually sponsored by the Irish government.[7]HuffPost – St. Patrick’s Day Traditions Around the World

3. New York City

st patrick's day parade

The oldest St Patrick’s Day parade is held in New York City every year. The parade also happens to be one of the largest with over 150,000 participants including veterans, cultural clubs, policemen, and firefighters. In fact, the parade is actually led by New York’s 69th infantry regiment.[8]Wilstar – ST. PATRICK’S DAY – THE HISTORY AND TRADITIONS OF ST. PATTY’S DAY

2. Boston

st patrick's day parade

In the United States, the best place to go to a St Patrick’s Day parade is perhaps Boston, Massachusetts. The city is actually one of the largest Irish-American communities in the US. In addition, it is actually one of the largest in the world with over 600,000 participants. No matter where you go in the city, there are many Irish pubs celebrating with beer, parades, and Irish food.[9]Wilstar – ST. PATRICK’S DAY – THE HISTORY AND TRADITIONS OF ST. PATTY’S DAY

1. Ireland

st patrick's day parade

If you truly want to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, where better to go than to Ireland? However, in Ireland, the celebration is more religious in nature, due to the fact that it is actually a religious feast day. Interestingly, it wasn’t actually made an official holiday in the country until 1903, and there wasn’t an official celebration until 1996![10]Wilstar – ST. PATRICK’S DAY – THE HISTORY AND TRADITIONS OF ST. PATTY’S DAY However, if you want to still have some fun, don’t worry. However, today, St Patrick’s Day in Ireland has become more of a cultural festival with a lot of celebration and drinking.