Here's Everything You Need To Know About This Year's Cork St. Patrick's Day Parade

Organised by Cork City Council, the Cork St. Patrick’s Festival will take place this weekend from Friday March 15 to Monday March 18.

Cork City will display a carnival of colour and pageantry as the city celebrates our national day in style.

A series of events will take place as part of the Cork St. Patrick’s Festival, making for an exciting weekend for all:

•             Cork St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Sun March 17, 1pm

•             The Lee Sessions Trad Trail in Cork City Centre Pubs throughout the weekend

•             St. Patrick’s Day Market, Sat March 16, Sun March 17, 10am-5pm, Emmet Place

•             Irish Language Guided Tours of CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory throughout the weekend

•             St. Patrick’s Day Family Sunday, Sun March 17, 3pm, Glucksman Gallery, UCC

•             Tours of Cork’s Heritage Buildings and guided walks.

The much-anticipated Cork St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place at 1pm this Sunday March 17 and will feature over 2000 community participants and floats from Cork and all over the country. The Parade will also feature several marching bands from the United States, including Mandan Marching Braves (North Dakota), Arvada West High School Wildcat Marching Band (Denver, Colorado), New York Knights of Columbus Council 126 Pipes and Drums (New York) and Columbus East High School Marching Band (Indiana)

5-times Olympian and world champion race walker Rob Heffernan is the Grand Marshal of the Cork St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which begins at the junction of South Mall and Parnell Place, makes its way along South Mall and Grand Parade, then up St. Patrick’s Street to finish on Merchants Quay.

The Parade will be streamed live on www.corkcity.ie/en/tv from 12.45pm on Sunday.

If you would like to send a message to the live stream – a greeting from near or far to be read out on air - please email parade@corkcity.ie

The Festival’s Facebook and Twitter pages will also carry updates.

Wheelchair users and those with special needs will be accommodated in a special area on St. Patrick’s Street, and there will be ISL Interpreter Services available beside the Viewing Stand - also on St. Patrick’s Street, near the entrance to Carey’s Lane. Events on festival weekend, plus information on city access, park and ride bus facilities, and traffic restrictions are listed on www.corkstpatricksfestival.ie 

Cork’s RED FM and the Echo are the media sponsors of the Cork St. Patrick’s Festival.