St. Patrick's Day parades
New Orleans marks St. Patrick's Day with a parade season of its own, led by the Irish Channel parade, where riders throw cabbages, potatoes and carrots for an Irish stew.
- When
- St. Patrick's Day is 17 March. The Irish Channel parade usually rolls around 1 p.m. on the Saturday before, after a noon Mass at St. Mary's Assumption Church. (source, checked 2026-10-26)
- Where
- Irish Channel and Garden District (Magazine Street area); French Quarter
- Admission
- Free to watch
Fixed date · 136 days away
About St. Patrick's
The Irish Channel neighbourhood, upriver of the Warehouse District, takes its name from the Irish immigrants who settled near the docks in the nineteenth century. Its St. Patrick's Day club has organised a parade since 1947, and in 2026 the parade was the 79th.
The parade looks like a cross between Carnival and a block party: marching clubs in tuxedos hand out paper flowers for kisses, and float riders throw produce as well as beads. Bring a bag; cabbages are heavy.
Weather matters in March. In 2025 the Irish Channel parade was postponed for storms and then called off altogether, so treat any March parade date as weather-permitting.
Other St. Patrick's walks and parades happen in the French Quarter and in Metairie, but we could not confirm current dates for them from their organisers, so we do not list them.
Tips
- Catching a cabbage is a skill: watch the rider's arm, not the vegetable, and keep your hands up and open.
- St. Patrick's and St. Joseph's Day are two days apart, and Super Sunday often falls the same week. It is one of the best weeks of the year for street culture outside Carnival.
Dates, 2026–2035
| Year | Dates | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Tue 17 Mar | Fixed date |
| 2026 | Sat 14 Mar Irish Channel parade | Held |
| 2027 | Wed 17 Mar | Fixed date |
| 2027 | Sat 13 Mar Irish Channel parade | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2028 | Fri 17 Mar | Fixed date |
| 2028 | Sat 11 Mar Irish Channel parade | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2029 | Sat 17 Mar | Fixed date |
| 2029 | Sat 17 Mar Irish Channel parade | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2030 | Sun 17 Mar | Fixed date |
| 2030 | Sat 16 Mar Irish Channel parade | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2031 | Mon 17 Mar | Fixed date |
| 2031 | Sat 15 Mar Irish Channel parade | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2032 | Wed 17 Mar | Fixed date |
| 2032 | Sat 13 Mar Irish Channel parade | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2033 | Thu 17 Mar | Fixed date |
| 2033 | Sat 12 Mar Irish Channel parade | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2034 | Fri 17 Mar | Fixed date |
| 2034 | Sat 11 Mar Irish Channel parade | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2035 | Sat 17 Mar | Fixed date |
| 2035 | Sat 17 Mar Irish Channel parade | Usual pattern, not announced |
Recent: 2026: 14 Mar 2026 (Irish Channel parade).
Sources
- fox8live.com/2026/03/06/79th-annual-irish-channel-st-patricks-day-eve… (2026 date; 79th parade; club formed 1947 (search summary); checked 2026-10-26)
- wrno.iheart.com/content/2025-03-28-irish-channel-st-patricks-day-para… (2025 postponement and cancellation; checked 2026-10-26)
Also in traditions
St. Joseph's Day altars and Super Sunday · All Saints' Day (La Toussaint) · Christmas Eve bonfires on the levee