Marching with St. John’s in New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Display your Red Storm pride by marching with St. John’s University in New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Monday, March 17.

The New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the world’s oldest and largest St. Patrick’s Day parade. The first parade was held on March 17, 1762—14 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Join us in the “wearing o’ the green”—and red—as St. John’s students, faculty, alumni, administrators, and staff march up Fifth Avenue with more than 150,000 expected participants. This New York City tradition draws millions of spectators to the streets of Manhattan each year.

Preregistration is required by Wednesday, March 12. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee places space limits for St. John’s and other participating groups, so only those who preregister may participate. 

Our assembly point is East 45th Street between Madison Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue at 12:15 p.m. Our spot in the parade is after Queens University, Belfast. We are the last group in the block. Because there is no way to precisely predict when our delegation will step off, it is best to be at our assigned spot at our assigned time.

Once on Fifth Avenue, completing the parade takes approximately 45–60 minutes. Temperature affects completion time; the colder it is, the faster the parade moves.

Many external factors impact the exact time we step onto Fifth Avenue. Waiting 30 minutes or up to one hour to get on to Fifth Avenue is not unusual.

Check out the complete schedule of St. Patrick’s Day activities sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations. 

All St. John’s students are encouraged to monitor the details of the College-Level Research Paper Scholarship Contest sponsored by the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. Our students can participate in the scholarship contest as the University is an affiliated parade committee member.

For more information, contact Brian Browne, Associate Vice President of University Communications and Public Affairs, at 718-990-2762 or 917-561-7068 (cell) or [email protected].