St. Patrick’s Day 2025: Top Parades and Events Across Connecticut

CONNECTICUT — With St. Patrick's Day on Monday, the Irish — and those who wished they were — will be out this weekend in an emerald tide washing from Greenwich. Here are some highlights:

The keystone event is the Greater New Haven St. Patrick's Day Parade, the largest free single-day spectator event in the state of Connecticut, according to organizers. Step-off time on Chapel Street at Sherman Avenue is 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 16. The Parade will then continue toward the Green, turn left onto Church Street, down to Elm Street, before letting out by Orange Street. If you can't make it, WTNH will be broadcasting all the shenanigans from 2 to 4 p.m.

Also on Sunday, but further south and east, will be the New London St. Patrick's Day Parade, stepping off from Shaw Cove at 1 p.m. and continuing through Downtown New London.

The Milford St. Patrick's Day Parade will step off at 1:00 p.m. at the Parsons Complex on West Main Street on Saturday, March 15, and feature a spectacular lineup of floats, marching bands, dancers, and community groups.

Getting an even earlier jump on the fun are the leprechauns in Bridgeport. The Greater Bridgeport St. Patrick's Day Parade steps off on Friday, March 14, at noon, and will march down Fairfield Avenue from Ellsworth Street, and continue down to Courtland Avenue.

Amid all the marching, try and carve out some time for "The Irish… And How They Got That Way" in West Hartford. It's an irreverent musical history of the Irish in the 20th and 21st centuries, through the eyes of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt. The show opens this weekend, but will be playing at Playhouse on Park through March 30, with weekend matinées and talk-backs with the cast scheduled. Tickets are available online here.

Are you a woman? Would you like to live better? Then do yourself a favor and check out the Women's Better Living Expo Connecticut, all weekend long at the Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport. It's sort of enormous, a shopping experience with brands and companies in a variety of categories including fashion, cosmetics, skin care, travel, health, food, wine tasting, jewelry, spas, salons, retreats, and education. Keep an eye out for plenty of free samples, opportunities to win valuable prizes, and the free health screening. This event is co-joined with the Connecticut Better Home Show, which is the top show of its type in Fairfield County. Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days. Tickets are available online here.

It's only mid-March, so much of Connecticut is still maple-ing. Hebron, however, is going overboard. The town will be holding its two-day Maple Fest 2025, March 15 and 16. Pretty much the whole town gets involved, and with all the skillet tossing, pancake making, axe throwing, art shows, parades, concerts, and sugaring, there'll be plenty of work for everyone. Rain, snow or shine, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., both days in Downtown Hebron.

You weren't looking for another bar crawl, but you got LepreCON anyway. This is the third year Downtown New Britain's pubs have thrown open their doors from 3 to 8 p.m. for riff-raff such as you. The drink specials at each stop promise to make the whole experience hazier still.