St. Patrick's Day Parades in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is home to the second oldest St. Patrick's Day celebration in the U.S.A. , in historic Philadelphia. There are several other St. Patrick's Parades in the state of Pennsylvania. The Parades listed below are on the weekend before, and the weekend of, the Irish holiday.

St. Patrick's Day is a celebration honoring Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick was born more than 1600 years ago. He had a tumultuous life, being enslaved in Ireland at the age of 16. He worked as a shepherd until he escaped. He went to France and became a priest. Eventually he was returned to Ireland. where he spent 30 years converting the Irish to Christianity,. He was devoted to this ministry until the time of his death. The legend of St. Patrick is that he drove the snakes from Ireland. However, Ireland is an island without snakes. There were probably never any snakes in Ireland. The snakes of legend, were likely symbolic of the many pagans that he converted to Christianity. Snakes had been a symbol of evil since the story of the Garden of Eden in the Bible Book of Genesis. St. Patrick is also credited with using the simple shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity of The God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to the Irish. The shamrock has been associated with St. Patrick and the Irish people ever since. Today 93% of Ireland is Catholic.

The St. Patrick's celebrations in the U.S.A. honor the Irish immigrants who were an important part of our nation's heritage.
Many Catholics start the holiday by attending Mass, in honor of their patron saint

The St. Patrick's Day holiday is a festive celebration, with many people wearing green clothing, armbands and carnations. Parades all over the country will have floats, bands, bagpipes and leprechauns.

Following are parades in the state of Pennsylvania:

8th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Saturday, March 10
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
The parade will form behind the Capitol Building on Commonwealth Avenue. There will be High School Bands, Professional Bands, Floats and more. According to the Harrisburg Irish Parade web site "It is intended this parade reflect the Irish contribution to the history of Central Pennsylvania and this nation in areas of government, law enforcement, fire service, education, health, and the military. So plan on joining us for the parade and partake in this cultural celebration. "

AOH Notre Dame Division 1 Conshohocken Saint Patrick's Day Parade
Saturday, March 10
2:00 pm
The theme of this even will be "Flags of Our Fathers". "This is in honor of all those who came before us to help build our Nations to what is is today."
Conshohocken is about 12 miles outside of Philadelphia

Scranton Pennsylvania Saint Patrick's Day Parade
Saturday, March 10
the Scranton parade boasts 5,000 participants. There will be floats, bagpipe players, high school bands, minstrels, and Irish groups. The Fourth largest St. Parade in the United States. This has been an annual event since 1862. The event has attracted more then100,000 spectators.

2007 Philadelphia Saint Patrick's Day Parade
Sunday, March 11
12:30 to 3:00 pm
The Irish in Philadelphia have celebrated St. Patrick's Day as early as 1771. It is the second oldest parade in the United States, after the parade in New York City. The parade, which was first celebrated for 235 years ago, six years before the Declaration of Independence was signed. The parade is hosted by the St. Patrick's Day Observance Association. The cultural celebration features thousands of marchers and spectators in green finery, bands, floats, flags and music. CBS 3-KYW will televise the popular, historic event.

24 Annual York St. Patrick's Day Parade
York, Pennsylvania
Saturday, March 17
1 pm
The parade will step off from Market and Penn Streets and proceed east on Market. The York St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee.

2007 Pittsburgh Saint Patrick's Day Parade
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Saturday, March 17
10 am
The Theme of the 2007 Parade is, as always, "A Just Peace in the North of Ireland. "The purpose of the St. Patrick's Day Parade is to celebrate the freedom to be Irish - to enjoy the Holiday to its fullest. The revelry lasts from the week before until the week after." the event is sponsored by The Irish Society for Education & Charity, Inc and produced by The Pittsburgh St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee. There will be marching bands, high school bands, cars,, floats and Irish groups.

2007 Allentown St. Patrick's Parade
Sunday, March 18
2 pm
Allentown's parade will be followed by a post parade celebration at the Allentown Fairgrounds Agri-Plex with 2 big Irish Groups, food and beverages.

2007 Stroudsburg - East Stroudsburg Saint Patrick's Day Parade
Sunday, March 18
1 pm
The parade will kick off at the Stroudsburg High School. They will feature pipe bands, 3 high school bands and floats.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It's always a good idea to verify dates and times before making a trip.