On St Patrick’s Day every year thousands of Irish Americans head down 5th Avenue in New York’s largest street parade. The day begins with a morning mass in St Patrick’s Cathedral, after which the parade marches up 5th Avenue, clan by clan, from 44th to 86th streets. Green face paint, green nail polish, and green clothes are on display in the crowds but the parade itself is marked by more formal Irish pageantry, led by the 165th Infantry (originally the 69th Regiment of the 1850s). The annual parade honours the patron saint of Ireland and is a New York tradition that dates as far back as 1766, many years before the Declaration of Independence was adopted. After the parade New Yorkers of all origins dress in green and head to the nearest bar for a pint of the black stuff.

Venue: Up 5th Avenue from 44th Street to 86th Street

Date: 17 March 2013

Website: www.saintpatricksdayparade.com/NYC/newyorkcity.htm