The Festival & Parade

The official London celebrations - that's the ones that don't revolve around pubs, Guinness and more pubs - take place the weekend before St Patrick's Day. The parade and festival are a great chance to immerse yourself in the Irish spirit (not the whiskey kind, although that also will be freely flowing to-be-sure) while enjoying the buzz and vibrancy of London in party mood.

The Parade

Hyde Park Corner, SW1X 7TA
15th March 2009

The main event in London Town (aside from the pubs going Guinness crazy for a few days) is the explosion of green - a tribute to the 'Emerald Isle' - at the parade. Anyone with a hint of Irish ancestry dons a shamrock and the rest of London, regardless of age, turns out just for the craic as the route becomes a riot of colourful floats, marching bands and street theatre. People from all 32 Irish counties - plus a bonus 33rd group of Irish Londoners - walk and cheer behind their home flags in the colours of their county, hoping to make their contingent the biggest and best on display. Festivities kick off from Park Lane at noon, passing by Hyde Park Corner and then heading along Piccadilly, joining Regent Street and going via Trafalgar Square - where the festival will be in full swing - to the final destination of Whitehall. We advise getting there early to nab a good spot, especially if you've got little ones in tow.

Photo credit: James O Jenkins

More info: St Patrick's Day Festival & Parade Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

The Festival

Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DS
15th March 2009

The carnival atmosphere is concentrated in Trafalgar Square, which becomes a hub for all things Irish. This is where the stage is set for a jig or two; the line-up is yet to be announced but with the promise of the best Irish music - from traditional to contemporary - it's a real crowd-puller and, if the weather holds, a scene of much merriment. Festival day sees a profusion of Irish crafts, culture and food with the fun extending just up the road to Leicester Square and Covent Garden too. Look out for special events running across London during festival week, which runs from 9th-17th March.

Photo credit: James O Jenkins

More info: St Patrick's Day Festival & Parade Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Did you know??

If you walk a little way down the Strand from Trafalgar Square you'll come across the Savoy Theatre, which in 1931 staged the first English public performance of Irish playwright Oscar Wilde's Salome almost 40 years after it was banned for its scandalous use of biblical imagery.