Most years on a Sunday morning close to March 17th the St. Patrick’s Day Parade takes place along Howe Street and Georgia Street in downtown Vancouver.

NOTE: 2016 was the year of Vancouver’s last St. Patrick’s Day parade. No parade took place in 2017 and no parade will likely take place again for several years if at all.

For information about Irish-themed events that do still take place in the Lower Mainland, click Vancouver St. Patrick’s Day Events.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade

In years when it did take place, the Vancouver St. Patrick’s Day Parade went along Howe Street beginning at the corner with Davie and then proceeded along Georgia Street to Granville. Beginning at 11 am, it was a popular parade celebrating everything Irish, green and Celtic.

2017 would have marked the 13th anniversary of the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which has been the largest and most popular event during Vancouver’s annual CelticFest festival in past years.

What to Expect

Thousands of people have turned out to watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade each year in the past, and over 2000 more participate. Parade participants include marching bands, Irish and Scottish dancers, antique cars, people on horseback, the occasional float and other vehicles decorated by local businesses and organizations.

If the parade happens again in a future year, expect lots of bagpipe music and people wearing green clothing and kilts. Also expect there to be massive crowds, especially if the weather is good, and lots of traffic congestion (so use public transit to get there).

Parade Information

In years when it did take place, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade started at the corner of Howe Street and Davie at 11:00 am on the Sunday closest to March 17. The procession proceeded north along Howe Street to Georgia Street where it turned east before finishing just a couple of blocks away at the corner of Georgia and Granville. It was a short parade and usually took less than an hour, but could still attract up to a couple of hundred thousand people on a sunny day.

Post and Pre-Parade Activities

On parade day, as well as the day before, CelticFest’s Celtic Village and Street Market took place each year along Granville Street between Robson Street and Nelson Street, just a short walk from the parade route. It was a free event that included music, vendor stalls, kids’ activities and entertainment. On the Sunday it usually ran from 10:00 am until 5:30 pm and was especially crazy-busy starting just before noon.

For more information on the March St. Patrick’s festival, check out CelticFest.

And for more information about St. Patrick’s Day events in general, click St. Patrick’s Activities in Vancouver.

To learn about St. Patrick’s Day events in Victoria, BC, visit the website VictoriasBestPlaces.com.