Get ready for a day filled with shamrocks, shades of green and plenty of fun when the Tallahassee Irish Society and the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority hosts the third annual St. Patrick’s Day Downtown Parade on March 17.
The parade will begin at 3:30 p.m., starting at the corner of College and Macomb streets and ending at the corner of College and Adams streets.
A festival will follow the parade from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. that includes drinks — for those of legal drinking age -and entertainment including the Tallahassee Step Dancers, the Tallahassee Pipers and various Irish and Celtic performances.
“This is one of the most celebrated Irish holidays in America,” said Jack Madden, the treasurer of the Tallahassee Irish Society. “I love how excited people get for it.”
St. Patrick’s Day is the celebration of its namesake who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland in the year 432. St. Patrick’s death, believed to be on March 17, 461, was established as an official feast day during the 17th century and became an official public holiday in Ireland in 1903.
According to History.com, the most well-known legend about St. Patrick is when he explained the Holy Trinity using a three-leaf clover, a staple for the holiday.
Reginald Lott, 23, a senior English student from Jacksonville, said that although he doesn’t know much of the history of St. Patrick’s Day, he still celebrates it every year.
“To me, it’s just fun going out wearing green and participating in the parades and festivals,” Lott said. “I don’t really know the significance, but I do know that a lot of alcohol and little clovers are involved.”
Anyone interested in participating in the parade can download an application from www.irishtallahassee.org and email it to dtcarrigan@comcast.net. Event information is on www.irishtallahassee.org/events. For more information about the Tallahassee Irish Society, contact Madden at 850-385-3696, or email maddenjack@embarqmail.com.