Description
Boston's huge St. Patrick's Day Parade, traditionally held each year on the Sunday closest to March 17, attracts up to a million or more spectators, depending on the weather.
Last year, when the weather changed from rainy to gorgeous just before the parade began, over a million people showed up to watch.
In 2025, the parade takes place in South Boston on Sunday, March 16, starting at 1pm. This year, marchers will follow the traditional 3.5 mile long route. (Unless a last-minute snowstorm happens.)
Boston's St Patrick's Day Parade dates back to March 17, 1737, when the city's Irish immigrants inaugurated the event as a way to show solidarity in their new home, honor their birthplace, and pay respect to the Patron Saint of Ireland.
As usual, you'll see crowds dressed in plenty of green along both sides of the South Boston parade route, and Irish cheer will be plentiful, thanks in part of all the Boston Irish bars and pubs nearby.
Spectators normally stand 12-deep in some areas, especially around the Broadway T station - so arrive early and walk down Broadway to a less-crowded spot if possible.
In addition to Saint Patrick's Day, the parade also celebrates Evacuation Day (an official Boston holiday) in honor of the ousting of British troops from the city on March 17, 1776. As a tribute this historic event, the parade also honors our military services and veterans.
The parade features an interesting mix of bagpipes, brass marching bands, elaborate floats, military units, dancers, historic Minutemen companies, politicians, entertainers, individual marchers, societies, and other organizations. The parade is organized by the South Boston Allied Veterans Council.
This is the city's biggest and best parade, but it's not for the faint-hearted because of the crowds. If being with a million or more people isn't your scene, you can also watch a live broadcast of this big event on NBC.
