Pittsburgh’s Downtown streets will turn into a sea of green on Saturday as one of the nation’s largest St. Patrick’s Day parades returns.
For more than 150 years, locals and tourists have crowded the 1.5 mile route to celebrate the luck of the Irish. It’s an event where anyone can be Irish for a day.
Here’s what to expect.
When and where is the parade?
The parade begins at 10 a.m. and will run for about three-and-a-half hours. Starting at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and 11th Street, the procession will make its way to Grant Street and the Boulevard of the Allies. After turning right, it will end at the reviewing stand on Stanwix Street.
How large is the parade?
With around one-fifth of the city’s population claiming Irish heritage, the parade is one of the largest in the nation, attracting between 200,000 and 350,000 spectators each year, according to Visit Pittsburgh.
Cities boasting the largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the nation are New York, with around 2 million revelers, Chicago with between 800,000 and 1 million spectators, and Boston with nearly 800,000.
Parade marshals and Pittsburgh police officers will be on hand to enforce parade rules and city laws, including a ban on alcohol anywhere along the parade route.
After the parade, spectators can move the party to bars and restaurants across the city, such as Harp & Fiddle and Kingfly Spirits in the Strip District or Market Square.
History of the parade
The celebration dates back to 1869 and has always featured a number of Irish groups. One group, the Confederated Irishmen of Lawrenceville, marched in 1871. The 175 men wore sashes that said, “God Save Ireland,” according to the Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade website.
In 1904, the parade took a brief hiatus, before being revived in 1950, during Mayor David L. Lawrence’s tenure.
Rain or shine
While the temperature on Saturday is expected to reach the low 70s, there is a chance of rain starting in the later hours of the morning and peaking in the afternoon.
Even severe weather conditions are not ruled out of the forecast, with the potential for storm showers to continue into Sunday.
“It’s not ideal weather to be spending time outdoors,” said Matt Brudy, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon.
Regardless of the forecast, it would take a lot to cancel the parade, which notoriously happens, “rain, snow or shine.” Even the Blizzard of ‘93, one of the worst snowstorms in 100 years, couldn’t stop the procession.
Who’s who
This year’s Grand Marshal is J. Mac McCafferty of Carrick. After Mr. McCafferty discovered his Irish heritage in his late 30s, he became an active member of the community by joining the board at the Irish Centre of Pittsburgh. Throughout his 35-year tenure, where he helped support Irish traditions and culture. Mr. McCafferty also served as a marshal and chairman of the Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee for more than 30 years, leading through various challenges, including when the parade was canceled in 2020 and postponed in 2021 due to the pandemic.
Leading the parade alongside Mr. McCafferty will be Melanie Grace Rayl, who was crowned 2025’s Miss Smiling Irish Eyes. The honor is given to young women who serve the community and represent Irish heritage. Ms. Rayl, of Mount Lebanon, is following in her mother’s footsteps, who was crowned in 1991.
While attending Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., Ms. Rayl co-founded an Irish dance and culture club. She also plans to focus her senior research project on the cultural and historical influence of the Irish community on Pittsburgh.
Political leaders, including Mayor Ed Gainey and Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, will be in attendance. Mr. O’Connor is Mr. Gainey’s opponent in the May primary and was recently endorsed by the Democratic Committee.
Republican mayoral candidate Thomas West will also be there, but another Republican candidate, Tony Moreno, will miss the parade as he’ll be out of state.
Transportation
Anyone planning to drive in or out of Downtown on Saturday should reconsider.
From 7 a.m. until 9:45 a.m., the Boulevard of the Allies, Fourth and Forbes avenues and Smithfield and Grant streets be closed for the Pittsburgh Parade Day Dash.
The race, presented by GNC, will kick off with a 1 mile family fun run/walk at 8 a.m., followed by a 5K. Participants can register for the races on the P3R website.
The Boulevard of the Allies and Grant Street, which are along the parade’s route, won’t reopen until 3 p.m.
With street parking heavily restricted, attendees are encouraged to use can locate parking lots and garages. Rates and locations can be found on the Pittsburgh Parking Authority’s website.
Taking public transit? Bus and train riders can find a list of services affected by the event on the Pittsburgh Regional Transit website.
—Reporter Hallie Lauer contributed to this report
First Published: March 13, 2025, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: March 13, 2025, 12:15 p.m.
