The Parade 2010

The official London celebrations - that's the ones that don't revolve around pubs, Guinness and more pubs - take place on Sunday 14th March, 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.

St Patrick's Day Parade & Festival

Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DS
Sunday 14th March 2010

With over 4,000 performers and floats from every county in Ireland London's St Patrick's Day Parade is an enormous, raucous explosion of (mainly green) colour. London's Irish community have always celebrated St Patrick's Day in the traditional manner, with church services, music, dancing and plenty of Guinness and whisky. But the capital also has a major Parade & Festival - the UK equivalent of parades in New York and Chicago - and a vast crowd gathers to watch the event (over 100,000 last year). London's parade route starts at Piccadilly (Park Lane side) at 12 noon, goes along Lower Regent Street, to Pall Mall East via Trafalgar Square, before its final flourish down Whitehall. For the festival, the main performance stage is in Trafalgar Square with live shows, music and dance, from 11.30am to 6pm. There's also a children's culture corner with storytelling, shadow animation, dance, musical instruments and poetry, and there'll be the chance to join in with the arms-by-the-sides dancing. Look out for Irish speakers roaming around the square, on hand to teach you a few phrases. Of course, the best places to celebrate are the pubs and Catholic churches throughout London, with their mix of religion, music and good cheer. Keep an eye on where the real London Irish go after the parade and you could be in for a memorable evening.

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

The Festival

Sunday 14th March 2010

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 to storytelling and ceili dancing. Look out for special events running across London during festival 'week', which runs from 4th-26th March. See www.london.gov.uk/stpatricksday for all the details.

More info: Leicester Square 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. In 1931 this theatre put on the first ever performance of Irish playwright Oscar Wilde's 'Salome', 35 years after it was banned for its scandalous use of biblical imagery.