St. Patrick's Day Parade 2019 Expected To Draw Millions To NYC

NEW YORK, NY — New York City's St. Patrick's Day Parade is older than the Declaration of Independence, and the annual event now draws about 2 million people to the city each year, according to parade organizers.

More than 150,000 marchers will head up Fifth Avenue on Saturday to honor New York's Irish community and pay homage to Irish and Irish-American culture. This year's parade will take place the day before St. Patrick's Day because March 17 falls on a Sunday.

The parade takes place on Fifth Avenue, starting in Midtown Manhattan and traveling north to the Upper East Side. The parade will begin on East 44th Street and end on East 79th Street this year. Viewing grandstands will also be set up along the route but spectators must purchase tickets to use them.

The first group of marchers will kick off at 11 a.m and the parade ends around 5 p.m. Those interested in the more religious aspect of the parade can attend mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral at 8:30 a.m., but must first acquire tickets.

The NYPD will be out in full force to protect parade marchers and shut down streets along the parade route.

The grand marshal of this year's parade will be Dr. Brian J. O’Dwyer, the son of former City Council President Paul O’Dwyer and nephew of former Mayor Honorable William O’Dwyer.

"We are truly delighted that Brian O’Dwyer has been unanimously selected as the 2019 Grand Marshal. He is a man who is beloved in the New York’s Irish-American community and in Ireland. He is an outstanding Irish-American who has devoted a huge amount of his considerable energy and charisma to building enduring and durable ties between Ireland and America," Sean Lane, Chairman of the Parade Board, said in a statement.

New York City's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade is organized by an organization called the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Inc, which selects a St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Celebration Committee. St. Patrick is both the patron saint of Ireland and New York City.