It was a soggy start to the oldest and largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade, but nothing stopped the enthusiasm and the crowds from lining Fifth Avenue for the 264th edition of the parade. NBC New York’s Sarah Wallace reports.
St. Patrick’s Day, the annual celebration of all things Irish, is being marked in cities across the country on Monday with boisterous parades and celebrations.
New York City hosts one of the largest and oldest parades in the United States.
The rolling celebration, now in its 264th year, takes place along Manhattan's famed Fifth Avenue. Some 150,000 take part in the march, according to organizers.
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The parades are meant to commemorate Ireland’s patron saint but have become a celebration of Irish heritage globally.
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SIGN UP The New York parade dates to 1762 — 14 years before the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
A bevy of local politicians, from the mayor to the governor, walk the route along with school marching bands and traditional Irish pipe and drum ensembles and delegations from the New York Police Department and other organizations.
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The grand marshal of this year’s parade in New York City is Michael Benn, the longtime chairman of the Queens County St. Patrick’s Parade held in Rockaway Beach.
Check out some of this year's parade highlights
