Celebrating the luck of the Irish
St. Augustine's St. Patrick's Parade steps off at Francis Field. Each year, the parade starts the Celtic Music and Cultural Heritage Festival, always held on the weekend before St. Patrick's Day
America's Oldest City claims the honor of holding the first St. Patrick's Day celebration and parade. In 1600, troops shot cannons and guns on the historically religious holiday in an impromptu event to honor a popular local Irish priest. In 1601, the community held the world's first recorded St. Patrick's Day Parade.
From Francis Field, the parade heads toward the bayfront on Orange Street, turning right onto South Castillo Drive. They turn right, again onto Cathedral Place, and return to Francis Field via Cordova Street.
A spectacle of floats, marching bands, pipes and drums, horse-drawn carriages, military units, and local community groups, St. Augustine hosts the only St. Patrick's Parade in Northeast Florida!
This event is part of the St. Augustine Celtic Music and Heritage Festival.
