Biggest St. Patrick’s Day Carnivals in 2013

By Simon Simon Andras

Although Saint Patrick’s day is seen mainly as an Irish holiday; celebrations for it take place all over the globe. It is a day where everyone finds some Irish heritage and joins in with the celebrations. The great news is that this year Saint Patrick’s day falls on its traditional Sunday and as a result this years carnivals are going to be bigger and better than ever. If you are looking for an awesome place to travel to celebrate Saint Patrick’s day you need look no further. Simply read on to discover the biggest and best Saint Patrick’s day carnivals taking place this year.

New York

When - Saturday 16th March 2013

Each year New York hosts one of the biggest Saint Patrick’s day parades in the world. Many other Saint Patrick’s day carnivals boast about having 50,000 attendees, but New York has 150,000 marchers in the parade alone. The New York Saint Patrick’s day parade is simply a must due to the long history behind it. The first parade was held back in 1766 by Irish soldiers who were serving in the American colonies and it has continued ever since getting bigger and bigger year upon year. The parade itself does not allow floats, autos or exhibits but the march is still an awesome experience. After the march has ended there are loads of other activities and things you can do around New York.

Dublin, Ireland

When - From 14th March to the 18th March 2013

Where else is better to celebrate Saint Patrick’s day than in Ireland itself. Dublin hosts a huge carnival in celebration of Saint Patrick’s day, which lasts for days. This year the festival organizers have invited 8,000 people from around the world to march in the parade. They will join the masses of marching bands, clowns, dancers, youth groups and horse units that are already taking part. No matter how the weather turns out the celebration will go on. Dublin is a great place to celebrate Saint Patrick’s day as you will get the one true Irish experience.

Chicago

When - Saturday March 16th 2013

Chicago is well known for its Saint Patrick’s day celebrations. Each year thousands of people choose to celebrate the day next to the Chicago river. This is because the river gets dyed a real Irish green by using some environmentally friendly colouring that keeps the river green throughout the course of the day. The organizers of the festival claim that no other city has quite achieved the same colour green as they do. This they say is down to a little help from a leprechaun. However, it still has never been seen! After the river is dyed a carnival is then held with the Chicago river serving as the backdrop. Expect to see floats, marchers and all. Saint Patrick’s day in Chicago really is a crazy experience.

London

When - Sunday 17th March 2013

London is a great place to celebrate Saint Patrick’s day for many reasons. It has the most authentic Irish owned pubs than any other city, it is free, perfect for families and is full of celebrations, parades, music and dance. The days celebrations kick off with a wonderful parade that is packed with colourful floats, marching bands, people in costumes and street theatre groups. Last year over 100,000 spectators came to watch the parade and this number is expected to be even greater this year. If you want to celebrate Saint Patrick’s day with the family London is the ideal destination.

Florence, Italy

When - From 17th March to the 21st March 2013

Florence is not a place where many people would think to travel in order to celebrate Saint Patrick’s day. Yet Florence is a great place to go to. This is because Saint Patrick’s day in Florence is packed with all sorts of things such as parties, Irish food and drink, concerts and Irish themed games. The celebration goes on for days and truly is a spectacular Irish experience. A great tip if you choose to go to Florence is to head to a pub called Finnegan’s, as this is the only Irish-owned pub in the city where everyone goes to celebrate.

Simon is a long term contributor for the financial blog of Poundaccess UK a quick cash and text loan provider. 

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