St. Patrick's Day Parade Scranton

The St. Patrick's Day Parade in Scranton is the fourth largest St. Patrick's Day Parade in the United States. It is held in Scranton, Pennsylvania every year on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day.

The date of the parade is commonly referred to as "Parade Day." Festivities begin with a mass at 10:00 am at St Peter's Cathedral. The mass is followed by a 5K race of the parade route at 11:30. 15 minutes later the parade begins.

Each year, thousands of people line the streets of downtown Scranton on Parade Day to take part in one of the city's greatest traditions. The city has hosted a St. Patrick's Day Parade since early in its history, with the current iteration being held annually since 1961. The Parade is sponsored and organized by the St. Patrick's Day Parade Association of Lackawanna County. Attendance for the 2008 parade, which featured appearances by Bertie Ahern, Hillary Clinton and Andrew Buckley of The Office, was estimated to be as high as 150,000 people.

The parade usually involves about 5,000 participants, including bagpipers, Irish stepdancers, high school bands, local organizations and other Irish groups.

While the parade serves as main event, the day has become a city wide celebration with many bars and restaurants opening early and offering specials and live entertainment. In previous years, bars opened as early as 7:00 am. In an effort to reduce incidents at the parade, officials have asked bars to delay opening until 9:00 am.