By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Where
- Fifth Avenue, 44th to 79th Street
- Tickets
- Free
- Time of year
- March
- Dates
- Around the same dates every year
The 266th parade, on Wednesday 17 March from 11am, with John Samuelsen, international president of the Transport Workers Union of America, as grand marshal. Grandstand ticket requests must reach the parade office by 1 March.
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The parade steps off at 11am from 44th Street and marches up Fifth Avenue to 79th Street until about half past four, past St Patrick’s Cathedral, where the cardinal reviews it from the steps. It keeps to the saint’s day rather than the nearest weekend, so it usually falls on a working day. Watching is free, and so are the grandstand seats, but those have to be requested by post.
What NYC St Patrick’s Day Parade actually is
It is older than the United States. The first march went through the city fourteen years before the Declaration of Independence, led by Irish soldiers serving in the British Army and homesick emigrants, at a time when wearing green was banned in Ireland. Irish fraternal societies took it over early in the nineteenth century, the Ancient Order of Hibernians became its sponsor, and a separate non-profit runs it today.
There are no floats and no cars. The 69th Infantry Regiment leads off, as it has since the middle of the nineteenth century, and behind it come the city’s Irish societies, the thirty-two county societies, schools and colleges, the Emerald Societies of the uniformed services and Irish language groups, with pipe bands all the way through. The county groups march in a rotating order, so the line-up changes every year.
Because it keeps to the date, the parade only moves when the saint’s day is a Sunday, and then it goes back a day to the Saturday. In most years Midtown has a parade running through an ordinary working day, which shapes the crowd, the traffic and the bars that evening.
Where to watch NYC St Patrick’s Day Parade
- Along Central Park, north of 59th Street. The park runs beside the avenue here, the crowd is thinner than in Midtown, and the marchers reach this stretch later, which suits a slower morning.
- Near St Patrick’s Cathedral, between 50th and 51st Streets, to see the cardinal on the steps. It is the busiest part of the route, so be at the barrier well before 11am.
- At the start by 44th Street, to see the 69th Regiment step off and be finished by lunchtime. Grand Central is two blocks away.
Tickets and what it costs
A place on the pavement is free, and nobody checks who stands where.
Grandstand seats are free as well and handed out first come, first served, but only by post. Write to the parade office asking for tickets and enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope of the standard US business size, a #10; requests without one are not answered, and they must arrive by the deadline in the dates card above. The address is on the parade’s FAQ page. Grandstand guests are asked to dress business casual, and you can leave your seat and come back as long as you keep your ticket.
From abroad this is hard to manage, because the return envelope needs US postage. Most visitors watch from the pavement, which is the better view of the bands anyway.
Official information and booking: www.nycstpatricksparade.org
Getting there
Fifth Avenue is closed to traffic from 44th to 79th Street, and the streets beside it back up, so take the subway and walk the last blocks. For the start, Grand Central–42 St or 42 St–Bryant Park. For the cathedral, 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Center. For the park end, the 6 train to 68 St–Hunter College or 77 St, three avenues east on Lexington.
The parade office itself tells anyone with business in Midtown that day to walk rather than drive.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Assuming it is on a weekend
The parade keeps to the saint’s day, so in most years it is a weekday, with offices open and the lunchtime crowd added to the spectators. Check the weekday in the dates card before you plan around it.
Counting on a toilet
By police order there are no portable toilets anywhere on the route. Go before you claim a spot at the barrier, because leaving it means losing it.
Bringing a drink to the kerb
New York’s open-container law applies on parade day as on any other, and Fifth Avenue is lined with police. Save the pint for a pub afterwards, and book that table.
Standing still in a spring jacket
Mid-March in New York often still feels like winter, and you may be in one place for hours. Wear layers, gloves and a hat; the parade has never been cancelled for the weather.
Other New York City events
Frequently asked questions
When is the NYC St Patrick’s Day Parade?
On St Patrick’s Day itself, whatever day of the week that is, except a Sunday, when it moves to the Saturday before. It starts at 11am; this edition’s date heads the page.
What is the St Patrick’s Day Parade route in New York?
Fifth Avenue from 44th Street north to 79th Street, past St Patrick’s Cathedral between 50th and 51st Streets. It runs from 11am to about half past four.
How do you get grandstand tickets for the St Patrick’s Day Parade?
They are free and requested by post: write to the parade office with a stamped, self-addressed #10 envelope, in time to meet the deadline in the dates card. Seats go first come, first served.
Who leads the parade?
The 69th Infantry Regiment, which has marched at the front since the middle of the nineteenth century. Behind it come Irish societies, county groups, schools and pipe bands, all on foot.
Is the parade on TV?
Yes. NBC 4 New York broadcasts it live from 11am and streams it online, so you can watch the start and then head out to a quieter stretch further north.
Sources
- NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the next parade and its grand marshal
- NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade, FAQs (route, times, grandstand tickets, broadcast)
- NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade, history
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2028. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.