Huddersfield’s 17th annual St Patrick’s Day Parade will take over the town centre next Sunday afternoon (March 19).
Organisers say it is the only parade of its kind on the day, as most Irish communities will already have celebrated on Sunday, March 12.
A sea of ‘floats’ will wend their way from Huddersfield Irish Centre on Fitzwilliam Street in a circular tour of the town, pausing in St George’s Square for performances by a number of groups, including the Birmingham Irish Pipe and Drum Band, Huddersfield Youth Brass Band, the Cassidy Irish Dancers and trad Irish outfit Celtic Duo.
The parade starts at 1pm and will finish at 2.30pm, with a post-parade party at the Irish centre.
While the patron saint’s feast day is on Friday, March 17, the parade is another opportunity for members of Huddersfield’s Irish community to come together and further celebrate Irish culture.
John McLoughlin from the Huddersfield Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Association explained: “We’re having a whole weekend of celebrations. On Sunday, we have ten wagons with exhibitions and 25 acts, including St Patrick in a disco party with leprechauns. It’s all done in a tongue-in-cheek, light-hearted, fun way, not a religious way – it’s a real community event for people of all kinds to come together and enjoy themselves.”
Among the exhibitions on ‘floats’ will be All Saints Catholic College presenting the Women’s Rugby World Cup (this year being hosted by Ireland) and gaelic football team Brothers Pearse.
Supported by the Irish Government and Big Lottery Fund, the event is part of the world-wide festivities – celebrated in more countries than any other national festival - that mark the date the Christian missionary St Patrick died in 461 AD. This year the Huddersfield parade has the theme A Future in Unity.
When did the custom of parading begin?
St Patrick’s Day has been an official holiday in Ireland since 1903, when the first parade in the country took place. The custom of parading, however, began in North America as far back as the 18th century. In the mid-1990s the government of the Republic of Ireland began a campaign to use St Patrick’s Day to showcase Ireland and its culture.
What should festival supporters wear?
It is traditional to wear a shamrock on St Patrick’s Day, a custom that is said to date back to when St Patrick used the three-leaved plant to explain the holy Trinity. The colour green is also popular and has been worn at parades and associated with Ireland since the 17th century.
Where will the parade in Huddersfield be seen?
After leaving Fitzwilliam Street the procession will go along John William Street to Market Place, then Cloth Hall Street, Westgate, and onto the ring road. It will return to Market Street and St George’s Square for around 1.45pm.
Where is the entertainment?
Look out for a variety of performances in St George’s Square between 1.45pm and 2.15pm. The Irish Centre in Fitzwilliam Street and St Patrick’s Catholic Club in Trinity Street are hosting after-parade parties with Irish dancing, traditional music and a family disco.
