Rochester’s St. Patrick’s Day parade returns Saturday

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – It’s almost time to celebrate! Rochester’s St. Patrick’s Day parade will be in full swing Saturday – it’s expected to draw thousands.

The city has already placed barriers which will be lined up along East Avenue in preparation. It’s a global celebration for Irish culture that brings out people from all walks of life.

Would you believe the parade dates back to the 1800s? That’s how long the parade has been celebrated right here in Rochester. A sea of green will descend on East Avenue and Alexander Street at 12:30 p.m. for the 46th annual parade.

It will feature 2,000 people marching, 12 bands from all over New York, six Irish dance schools, fire trucks, and floats. News10NBC will even be taking part!

Now although the weather may not the best on Saturday, Katie McBride with the board of directors for the parade says the snow and cold won’t put a damper on the festivities.

“Snows great,” says board of directors member Mark Dowdell. “We’re upstate New Yorkers, we’re a hearty soul, plus being Irish as well we’re not afraid of a little bit of weather.”

“It’s the largest single day event in the whole city of Rochester,” says McBride. “And we always think that because its sort of the first big outdoor event after a long winter and everybody comes out for it.”

The parade will head down East Avenue until the liberty pole. From there, it heads west down Main Street and ends at the corner of Fitzhugh Street. You can see a map of the route and locations for restrooms here.

Other St. Patrick’s Day events

Amerks Irish Night (March 10): The Rochester Amerks are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at their game against the Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday night. The puck at the Blue Cross Area drops at 7:05 p.m. You can get tickets here.

Running of the Green five-mile run (March 11): The YMCA is hosting the Running of the Green five-mile race on Saturday, March 11. The race starts at 10:30 a.m. prior to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It both starts and ends at Parcel 5. You can register for the race here.

Shamroc Bash (March 11): A party to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day will take place on Saturday at the former City Grill on 384 East Avenue. An outdoor patio will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and it will be along the parade route. It’s for people 21 and older.

The celebration features a DJ, VIP Booths, and Giveaways. The outdoor patio, fireplace, main bar, and back VIP bar will be open. The organizers will give away 20 PGA Championship tickets for festively dressed guests. You can learn more here.

Virgil Cain performs at Shamrock Jack’s (March 17): The artist Virgil Cain is performing at Shamrock Jack’s Irish Pub on 4554 Culver Rd. He will perform on Friday, March 17 from 4 to 5:45 pm.

Virgil Cain is a solo performing musician from New York that plays six instruments live (Acoustic and Electric guitars/ Electric Violin/ Keyboards) with looping and sequencing for a full band sound.

Most shows are cover versions of rock, pop, and acoustic songs from the 70s to today. Sets are never planned and always in tune with the rhythm of the crowd. As the night progresses, the energy often leads to the crowd dancing and singing along.