Where are the biggest St Patrick's Day parades in America?
New York City's is the oldest and the largest: the first parade marched on 17 March 1762, and around two million people now line Fifth Avenue. Chicago is the one watched for its river: since 1962 the plumbers' union has dyed the Chicago River green on parade morning, using a vegetable dye first used to trace leaks. Savannah's parade began in 1824, when a few dozen Irish immigrants marched to church; it marked its bicentenary in 2024 and is the South's largest, filling the city's historic squares. Boston's parade, through South Boston, carries the city's Evacuation Day history on the same date. All four happen on or beside 17 March. Pick on character: New York for scale, Chicago for the river, Savannah for the setting.
Useful pages: Irish in USA · The Irish surnames map · Trace your Irish roots · Coming home · Irish around the world
Sources
- Parade committees of New York, Chicago, Savannah and Boston: parade histories and dates
- US Census Bureau: Facts for Features, Irish American Heritage Month and St Patrick's Day, and the American Community Survey, census.gov
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