Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade takes place in the heart of downtown,
and you don’t have to be Irish to celebrate this tradition. More on why this
tradition is important to the City of Pittsburgh.
By: Jessica Harvey
Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is a tradition that has been going on since the mid-1800s. The path of the parade has been a rocky one, where it was in hiatus from 1904 to 1950 to the routes and eventings changing. However, the parade has been going on every year since it was restored in the 1950s. Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade goes on “snow, rain, or shine”, not even stopping for the big blizzard in ‘93 which was the largest blizzard in 100 years.
The famous parade was named 3rd best St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 2022, by WalletHub. A lot of factors went into deciding the ranks of the cities including, weather, Highest percentage of Irish population, Most St. Patrick’s Day parties and festivals, etc. Pittsburgh ranked #5 in traditions and #20 in weather but #3 overall. With around 200 marching units, including bands and floats and 200,000 to 350,000 participants.
So what goes on during a parade that makes it such a staple in Pittsburgh and what started it? According to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, this tradition started as a way to honor the patron saint of Ireland and has now evolved to the large Irish celebration. There’s a lot that goes on during parade day, starting at Catholic Mass at Old St. Patricks in the Strip District, in which the public is more than welcome to join in. Next is all the step dancers, marching bands, community organizations and Punxsutawney Phil, military members start the march near the greyhound that continues around downtown.
This parade touches the hearts of many, with Pittsburgh’s large Irish heritage, including Katie Village. Village started going at a young age because her mother would take her family and even walk in the parade with her family.
“The parade means to me celebrating my Irish heritage and getting everyone together just to celebrate where our ancestors came from”, Village said. “What I like the most is even if you aren’t Irish, on St. Patrick’s Day or the day of the parade, you are those days!”
The parade means a lot to so many people. In 2020, the parade was canceled due to the newly COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the parade was postponed as cases arose again until September of that year as a halfway mark. Many were devastated including Village.
“Yes, I couldn’t believe it”, Village said.
Pittsburghers felt the same wave of disbelief.
It later returned in 2022 with more that 20,000 participants and more than 200 marchers and floats.
“After two very challenging years, it’s understandable that people will be in the mood to celebrate one of Pittsburgh’s more beloved traditions; St. Patrick’s Day,” Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said in a statement.
This year, the parade is set for March 11th, 2023 at 10 am. The parade includes lots of bar crawls and Saturday brunches before the parade. For the little ones, there’s also cookie decorating at the Northland Public Library. Join the parade and be “Irish for the Day”, don’t forget to wear lots of green or even black and gold and bundle up for the cold. Have fun and join the festivities!
