St. Patrick's Day (on March 17th, each year) is celebrated in New Orleans and its suburb in the form of....another parade! It's the perfect season for another celebration ... after all, it's New Orleans, and we love to parade!
Our annual St. Patrick's Day Parades are considered another opportunity for family and friends to get together and enjoy a day outdoors. It seems as if the entire city is on the street with picnic baskets, umbrellas, and their recreational vehicles...enjoying one of the biggest street parties of the year! Men and women in walking groups from various clubs in the city dress in costumes of green and give out flowers, beads, and kisses to lucky parade goers along the route.
Music adds to the festivities with bands in the parade, and walking groups dancing down the street...only stopping to award their beautiful beads and flowers to the lucky parade goers along the route.
Floats and truck floats (those on flatbed trailers created by the riders themselves) respond to the call, "Throw me something, Mister!" Historically, the parade's most famous throws are cabbages, carrots, onions...and moonpies! (You may even see a potato or two in the air!)
NEW ORLEANS (NOLA WEEKEND) -- Mardi Gras is over, but that’s not the end of the parades. From the Irish Channel to the North Shore, New Orleans and its surrounding areas go green for the next few weeks to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Patrick’s Day parades and block parties return for the first time in three years after being among the first events canceled in March 2020 to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, the Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Club parade, marks 75 years of rolling in New Orleans. The club now boasts a membership of more than 1,200.
Parades in other surrounding areas also return, including the Irish-Italian Parade, a Jefferson Parish staple since 1983. The Metairie Road St. Patrick’s Day Parade will also roll again in Jefferson Parish, where Lieutenant Gov. Billy Nungesser will serve as Grand Marshal, and his wife, Cher, will reign as queen.
“We’re thrilled to continue the post-Carnival festivities by welcoming the return of the Metairie Road St. Patrick’s Day and Irish-Italian Parades,” Jefferson Parish citizens affairs director Donna Russo said in a release. “After an extremely successful 2022 Carnival season, we look forward to resuming these beloved Jefferson Parish traditions, which will provide additional opportunities to bring the community together to celebrate with friends and family.”
One notable absence from this year’s festivities is the Molly’s at the Market at Jim Monaghan’s Parade.
Molly’s at the Market owner Trey Monaghan said having to skip this year is a “gut punch.” However, Monaghan’s goal is to soon bring back the event that’s a special part of his family’s legacy, he said.
St. Patrick’s festivities also overlap with the annual St. Joseph’s Parade hosted by the Italian-American Club, which also returns for 2022.
2022 St. Patrick’s Day Parade ScheduleHere is a complete list of St. Patrick’s Day parades, block parties and festivities you can enjoy around the New Orleans area. Check back for updates as we get them. Contact us if there are changes in schedule.
Saturday, March 12
Covington St. Patrick’s Day ParadeCovingtonNoonIrish Channel St. Patrick’s Day ParadeIrish Channel1 p.m.
ExpandAutoplay
Image 1 of 2
2022 Covington St. Patrick's Day Parade Route Covington (Source: Covington Celtic Club)
Sunday, March 13
Metairie Road St. Patrick’s Day ParadeOld MetairieNoonSlidell St. Patrick’s Day ParadeOlde Towne Slidell1 p.m.
ExpandAutoplay
Image 1 of 2
2022 Metairie Road St. Patrick's Parade Route Metairie Road (Source: Visit Jefferson Parish)
Thursday, March 17
Downtown Irish Club ParadeMarigny - French Quarter - CBD7 p.m.
Marigny, French Quarter & CBD (Source: Downtown Irish Club)
Saturday, March 19
Italian-American St. Joseph’s ParadeFrench Quarter6 p.m.
Sunday, March 20
Louisiana Irish-Italian ParadeMetairieNoonSt. Patrick’s Day ParadeHouma1 p.m.
ExpandAutoplay
Image 1 of 2
2022 Louisiana Irish-Italian Parade Route Metairie (Source: Visit Jefferson Parish)
Saturday, April 2
St. Bernard Irish Italian Islenos ParadeChalmette11 a.m.
2022 St. Patrick’s Day Block PartiesFourth Annual Covington St. Patrick’s Day Block Party
Saturday, March 12
The Covington Celtic Club celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with a parade starting at noon, marching through the historic downtown district and concluding with a block party at the corner of New Hampshire and Rutland Streets, complete with food, beer and live music until 5 p.m. See more info here.
Parasol’s Block Party Celebration
Saturday, March 12 & Thursday, March 17
After two years off, Parasol’s will bring back its annual block party celebration during the Irish Channel Parade and on St. Patrick’s Day at the corner of Third Street and Constance Street. The fun starts at 11 a.m. on both days. Expect music, food, green beer and surprises.
Tracey’s Original Irish Channel Bar Block Party Celebration
Saturday, March 12 & Thursday, March 17
Tracey’s big block party bash returns for the Irish Channel Parade and on St. Patrick’s Day. Expect lots of green beer, jello shots, music and food. Festivities start at 11 a.m. on both days.
St. Patrick’s Day on the Bayou Festival + Paddle Bayou Lafourche
Saturday, March 12
A day of family-friendly fun is on tap for St. Patrick’s Day on the Bayou Festival along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in downtown Thibodaux on March 12.
The festival returns, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, as a joint event with the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program’s annual Paddle Bayou Lafourche.
The festival runs from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. and includes live music, children’s activities and cardboard-and-duct tape boat races. Paddle Bayou Lafourche launch times start prior to the festival from 8 a.m. to noon.
Entry into the festival is $10 and includes free food while supplies last. Entry in the Paddle Bayou Lafourche is $35 per person and canoes are available to rent for $50 per canoe.
For more information or to register for events, visit the website.
Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Club Block Party
Thursday, March 17
The Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Club throws its annual block party on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. The block party features Irish music, food, drinks and dancers at Annunciation Square in the 1500 block of Chippewa Street from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Proceeds benefit St. Michael’s Special School.