The Philadelphia St Patrick's Day Parade — 255 Years of Marching

1771: The first march

The first recorded St Patrick's Day observance in Philadelphia was organized by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, a Philadelphia benevolent society founded in 1771 whose early members included Commodore John Barry (the father of the American Navy) and eventually George Washington himself as an honorary member. Five years before American independence, Irish Philadelphians were already marching.

19th century: A parade takes shape

As waves of Irish immigrants arrived in the 1840s and 1850s, parish churches and Ancient Order of Hibernians divisions began organizing formal parades through the city. By the late 1800s the parade was a city-wide event, often held on the Sunday closest to March 17.

20th century: Growth and tradition

The modern parade — coordinated by the Philadelphia St Patrick's Day Observance Association — took its current form in the 1950s. Broadcast partnerships with local television (long carried by CBS3) turned it into a citywide TV tradition. String bands, pipe bands, county societies, and Catholic schools became fixtures of the line of march.

Today: One of America's largest

The parade now features 20,000+ marchers from more than 150 units, running about three hours from step-off to the last band. It's ranked among the largest and oldest St Patrick's Day parades in the country — alongside New York, Boston, Chicago and Savannah — and remains free to attend.

Why Philadelphia? A very Irish city.

More than 14% of Philadelphians claim Irish ancestry — one of the highest rates of any major U.S. city. Neighborhoods like Kensington, Fishtown, Manayunk, and much of the Northeast were shaped by Irish immigration, and Philly's parochial school system, police and fire departments still carry the imprint.