Photo: Cincinnati St. Patrick's Day Parade Facebook
The St. Patrick's Day Parade returns after taking two years off due to COVID.
The day has come for the Irish of Cincinnati — and those who wish they were — to dance, drink and party through the streets of downtown.
And it's something they've been waiting a while for.
At noon on March 12, the 54th St. Patrick Day Parade will step off from Mehring Way near Paul Brown Stadium after taking a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
More than 80 different entries will join the procession — traditional Irish step dancers, festive floats, bagpipers, local families, marching bands from city schools — as it makes its way from the stadium and up Joe Nuxhall Way to Freedom Way at The Banks.
The parade continues the tradition of "Big" Jim Murphy, who originally had the idea to secure a permit for the event on March 17, 1967, according to the Cincinnati St. Patrick's Parade website. "What started out as a small religious procession with members of the (Ancient Order of Hibernians) and their families became a large parade. Traffic on the city streets did not move for over 2 hours," reads the website.Over 50 years later, the celebration has evolved into a full-day, city-wide-jubilee.
Streets of the parade route close promptly at 10 a.m. and parking is also prohibited along the route.
For those who can't wait until the parade, there will be an official keg-tapping and kick-off party at 5:30 p.m. March 11 at the Holy Grail a The Banks.
Get details at cincystpatsparade.com.
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* A previous version of this story had a typo that said the parade date was Sunday, as well as it being on March 12. March 12 is a Saturday. The parade is on March 12.
