Missing out on all of the Mardi Gras parades? Get a taste of the excitement going on now in New Orleans during the Irish Channel Parade. Hosted by the Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Club, this parade captures the essence of festival and celebration in New Orleans. As the parade travels along Jackson Avenue, in front of the Grand Victorian along the famous St. Charles Avenue, Louisiana Avenue, and finally, Magazine Street, tourists and locals flock along the sidewalks to view the floats and catch flying beads.
This year the Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Club will be honoring the New Orleans Saints for their win at Super Bowl XLIV with a medallion. The fun begins on March 12, 2011 at noon for Mass at St. Mary’s Assumption Church. The parade follows at 1:00pm.
The fifth oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade honoring the Irish heritage, this tradition began in New Orleans in 1809. Historically, New Orleans was the largest entry port for Irish immigrants in the south and has maintained a large population of Irish heritage. The only St. Patrick’s parade in the country that tosses beads, viewers have also been known to catch onions, carrots, cabbages, potatoes, and other ingredients for cooking up Irish stew. And don’t forget to wear green unless you want to get pinched all day long!