What to Expect: Noise and excitement. The St. Patrick's Day Parade is a raucous event that draws a young, often college-aged, crowd. Expect a lot of green.

• Crowds: A typical St. Patrick's Parade NYC features 150,000 participants and draws a crowd of two million spectators. Expect big crowds everywhere with proportionate merrymaking.  This is not the best time to bring Grandma to NYC unless Gram can party with the best of them...
• Bagpipes: It's St Patrick's Day NYC! Expect bagpipes. Lots of them. (Note that the Irish use the uilleann pipe, while the Scottish use the Scottish Great Highland Pipe; both instruments, however, are considered bagpipes.)
• Revelry: As the oldest and largest St. Patrick's Day Parade, the St. Patrick's Parade NYC is also the most boisterous. Spectators take advantage of this, the definitive Irish holiday, to drink copious, sometimes excessive, amounts of alcohol. While police continue to crack down on public drinking, harsh words are still exchanged between heavy drinkers, and a few fights inevitably ensue.

Inside Knowledge: The first St. Patrick's Day Parade was held in 1762 by a band of homesick Irish expatriates serving in the British Army. Because their homeland had banned the wearing of green, a symbol of Irish pride, these expatriates decided to celebrate the freedom of expression they found in the British colonies with a parade. The parade is held every year on March 17 (unless March 17 is a Sunday, in which case the parade is held on March 16). It is the oldest civilian parade in the world. Led by the U.S. 69th Infantry Regiment, the St. Patrick's Parade NYC marches up the 1.5 miles of Fifth Avenue between 44th Street and 86th Street, typically ending by 5pm.

Event Hints:

• Avoid the Crowds: To best enjoy the St. Patrick's Parade NYC, we recommend venturing north of 66th Street and Fifth Avenue. There you'll avoid the crowds that pack the sidewalks south of 59th Street.
• Find a Good View: Want a better view of the St. Patrick's Parade NYC? Try the upper steps of the Museum of Modern Art, located on West 53rd Street, or the sidewalk on 86th Street, where the parade disbands. Stand on the west side of Fifth Avenue to enjoy the sun, as the east side of the street is often covered in shade.
• Don't Break the Law: Drinking in public is strictly prohibited during the St Patrick's Day NYC Parade. Those found drinking in public will be ticketed and arrested, and police will confiscate all alcoholic beverages.