NEW YORK (WABC) — The beloved and longstanding New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade officially kicks off Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
The procession will make its way down Fifth Avenue, bringing bagpipes, marching bands and major street closures to Midtown.<\/p>\n
The parade steps off at Fifth Avenue at 11 a.m., heading uptown past St. Patrick’s Cathedral and ending at 79th Street.<\/p>\n
The 2026 Grand Marshal is Robert James McCann, who serves as the board chair of the Irish Arts Center, and worked for nearly three decades, strengthening cultural and civic ties between Ireland and the U.S.<\/p>\n
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch plan to march in the parade, joining more than 150,000 people that participate every year with two million spectators cheering them on.<\/p>\n
“I am incredibly appreciative of the privilege to lead a city where Irish Americans have played such a critical role in this city. We know when it comes to the building of this city, the skyscrapers that pierce the clouds, the tunnels that carve through bedrock. So much of that was built by Irish hands. And when we celebrate Irish Americans, we also celebrate the solidarity that they have brought, as well as the people of Ireland have brought to the world,” Mayor Mamdani said.<\/p>\n
Transit service information for St. Patrick’s Day<\/p>\n
The MTA is going green for the holiday, having replaced some line numbers temporarily with shamrock-themed signage.<\/p>\n
Today, customer service agents will hand out stickers while directing paradegoers.<\/p>\n
Both the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North are adding trains for increased parade traffic.<\/p>\n
Alcohol is banned on both railroads from today until 5 a.m. Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Parade history<\/p>\n
New York City hosts one of the largest and oldest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the United States. The celebration is now in its 265th year, with the first parade dating back to 1762. That’s 14 years before the U.S. Declaration of Independence!<\/p>\n
The parade’s first year, 1762, “was a time when the wearing of green was a sign of Irish pride but was banned in Ireland. In that 1762 parade, participants reveled in the freedom to speak Irish, wear green, sing Irish songs and play the pipes to Irish tunes that were meaningful to the Irish immigrants of that time,” parade organizers explained.<\/p>\n
Groups from all over the world come to participate, as well as local first responder groups, high school marching bands and more.<\/p>\n
You can learn more about the St. Patrick’s Day Parade here<\/a>.<\/p>\n * Get Eyewitness News Delivered<\/a> <\/p>\n * Follow us on YouTube<\/a> <\/p>\n * More local news<\/a><\/p>\n * Send us a news tip<\/a><\/p>\n