The Sanctuary Runners will perform Grand Marshal duties.

And this year, Cork’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be the city’s largest parade ever, with a feast of colour and pageantry featuring over 3,500 participants in 55 groups.

Themed ‘A Century of Stories’, the parade will take place on March 17th at 1pm, on the familiar route from South Mall to Merchants Quay.

Joining Corkonians from the United States for the first time since 2019, marching bands from Florida and Aurora, near Denver in Colorado will add extra ‘oomph’ to the atmosphere.

The prestigious University of Florida Gator Band is bringing 350 students to Cork for the event, with the group joining fun floats from arts organisations Cork Community Artlink, Cork Puppetry Company, and renowned street art company Spraoí.

Viewers at home or abroad can also view the parade via the livestream online, while messages of goodwill can be sent to the live stream by messaging the festival on Twitter @corkpaddysfest.

Céad míle fáilte

Five years since it began, the Sanctuary Runners’ movement is a worthy reflection of Cork’s welcoming nature.

“Cork is a huge part of us, and we of Cork so to get this recognition is just amazing,” said Graham Clifford, CEO of the Sanctuary Runners.

“We believe in positive energy and we’ll be bringing that to the streets of Cork on St. Patrick’s Day.”

Also on the agenda for the weekend are trad music performances from the Lee Sessions, art, theatre, live music, guided tours, an outdoor market, and workshops.