Every year, around mid-March, the Holy City starts to see green. From dance competitions to bagpipe performances, specialty brews to decor at local pubs, and parties that shut down whole city blocks, the Lowcountry gets in the spirit. But there’s one Saint Patrick’s Day tradition that dates back over 200 years — we’re talking about the Charleston St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Charleston’s first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in 1823, when Irish volunteers marched down Broad Street after a speech by Bishop John England. By the late 1800s, the procession had grown into a larger route from Vanderhorst Street through downtown. The larger parades continued into the twentieth century but stopped in the mid-1920s. Good news, the major parade was revived in 1997.
This year’s parade is on Tuesday, March 17, and will start at 10 a.m. at the intersection of King and Radcliffe Streets. Go ahead and scout out your parking spot.
