Raleigh St. Patrick's Day Parade

Rain or shine, at Noon on Saturday, March 15th downtown Raleigh will come alive with Irish tradition as the 26th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival brings the ‘Wearin’ O’ the Green’ to the Capital City. The Raleigh St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the second largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the Southeast. The 2008 parade theme is “Celtic Roots - Southern Branches”, focusing on over 200 years of Irish and Scotch-Irish influences on the culture and history of the South and North Carolina. This years parade will feature over 3500 marchers including floats, military units, local dignitaries, media and entertainment personalities, civic, cultural, and social groups and for the first time ever local high school marching bands! The Raleigh parade is a celebration for all ethnic groups and cultures.

The Grand Marshal for this year’s parade is Harry Dolan, Police Chief for the City of Raleigh.
The celebration continues at the “Wearin’ O’ the Green Festival” in Moore Square immediately following the parade. Enjoy live Irish music by Eire Lingus and Homeland on the Shamrock ‘n Roll Stage. You won’t want to miss the Green Beret Parachute Team as they parachute into the middle of the celebration. The Irish Village will be filled with Irish organizations, ethnic and cultural tables. Leprechaun Lane will feature children’s activities, food and fun for all ages.