Sun 3/17 @ 2:04PM
The largest parade of the year in Cleveland (and in many other cities, including my hometown of Chicago) is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which attracts tens of thousands of people of all types to line its Superior Avenue parade route from East 18th Street to Public Square. This year’s theme is “Ireland: One Island, One Nation.”
More than 100 delegations will be regaling the gathered masses, led by parade officials and honorees, public officials, and police, military and firefighter delegations and bands. Be patient: the Irish setters and Irish wolfhounds are in the first batch of marchers. Other delegations include labor unions; high school bands; organizations such as the Cleveland Public Library, Cleveland Metroparks, the Cleveland Dragon Boat Association, Playhouse Square, Burning River Roller Derby and the Cleveland Cultural Gardens; non-Irish ethnic groups such as the Cleveland Asian Festival, Cleveland Polonia, Folklorna skupina Kres (Slovenian) and United Ukrainian Organizations of Ohio; businesses such as JACK Casino, Great Lakes Brewing Company and Mooney & Sons Towing; and of course, Irish dance schools.
The crowd is almost as much fun to watch as the paraders, with many decked in an array of outrageous, emerald-green attire. We’ve been to the parade in a blizzard, in rain, in frigid cold and in weather so warm everyone was wearing shorts and tank tops. Watch the forecast and come prepared!
The parade steps off at 2:04. Don’t start drinking so early you miss it.