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 Friday, March 17, 2023.

The New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the oldest and largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world. 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 Tuesday, March 14. 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. Employees interested in marching must check with their supervisor regarding participation.

Our assembly point is East 47th Street between Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue at 12:00 p.m. Our spot in the parade is after the County Offaly Society of New York and ahead of SUNY (State University of New York) Maritime College. Because there is no way to exactly predict when our delegation will step off, it is best to be at our assigned spot at our assigned time.

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

Many external factors impact the exact time that we step off onto Fifth Avenue. It is not unusual to wait between 30 minutes and one hour to get onto Fifth Avenue.

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 participate in 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 member of the parade committee. For more information visit https://www.nycstpatricksparade.org/