BY: Liliana Rocio      Sat March 16th 2024

The New York City Saint 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 — fourteen years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The parade is held annually on March 17th at precisely 11:00 AM in honor of St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland and of the Archdiocese of New York.

The parade route goes up Fifth Avenue beginning at East 44th Street and ending at East 79th Street. Approximately 150,000 people march in the parade which draws about 2 million spectators.

From its earliest days, right up to the present, the New York City Saint Patrick’s Day Parade™ has been run entirely by volunteers, many of whom come from generations of families dedicated to the organization of the parade.

It takes months of preparation and countless hours to run the world’s oldest and largest parade. We could not do it without the commitment of these great women and men.

The NYC Saint Patrick’s Day Parade is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. *When March 17 falls on a Sunday, the Parade is held on March 16 for religious observances.

MAGGIE TIMONEY was The Grand Marshall for The 263rd New York City Saint Patrick’s Day Parade-2024. Maggie Timoney is the President & CEO of HEINEKEN USA based in White Plains, New York. During her 20+ year tenure with the HEINEKEN Group in the US, Netherlands, Canada and Ireland, Maggie has been recognized for being transformational leader as demonstrated through her results at a P&L levelcombined with a high impact in both cultural and social change. Prior to joining HEINEKEN, she worked for Gallo and Anheuser-Busch.

Throughout her career, Maggie continues to blaze the trail as a senior female executive in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Today, she is the first woman to serve as chief executive of a major beer company in the US.

Maggie received both her B.A. and M.B.A at Iona University. During her time there, she was a standout player on the women’s basketball team. She often credits her time spent on the court for helping shape her leadership skills. A native of Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland, Maggie currently resides in Connecticut with her husband and two children.

Through hats, wigs, and flags, what’s estimated to have been about 2 million parade goers showed their Irish pride — Irish or not on what was a sunny Saturday. Gov. Kathy Hochul shared that she’s New York’s first Irish-American governor in 40 years.

“Looks like a spectacular day to march up Fifth Avenue and show our colors today,” Hochul said.

The city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is known as the oldest in the world. It started in the 1700s and is in its 263rd year.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan celebrated Mass at the saint’s namesake cathedral on Fifth Avenue before the parade.

Manhattan’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which dates to 1762 — 14 years before the U.S. Declaration of Independence — is one of the world’s largest Irish heritage festivities.

The parade is regarded as the most popular of the all the parades in New York City, and honors Saint Patrick – the patron Saint of the Archdiocese of New York and Ireland.

The Manhattan consists only of marchers and each year hosts some 250,000 marchers and two million spectators.

The parade hosts many outstanding marching bands, bagpipers in marching formations, high-school and college bands from throughout the United States and from all over the world.

Many Dignitaries were in attendance, which included, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, Council members, Senators, NYS Attorney General Tish James, New York City Comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli and many more people from around the world.

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