Irish contribution to Birmingham celebrated at St Patrick’s Day Parade
The Irish contribution to Birmingham will be the theme of this year’s St Patrick’s Day Parade in the city which takes place on Sunday, March 15.
Organised by the St Patrick’s Festival Committee in co-operation with Birmingham City Council, the parade begins at noon with a confetti blast.
This year’s parade will include pipe and drum bands, vintage motorcycles, classic cars and Willie ‘Fergus’ Finnegan’s massed tractors, alongside decorated floats.
The parade will set off from Camp Hill at approximately noon and proceed along Deritend on the out of city carriageway into Digbeth High Street. It will then proceed along Digbeth, turn left into St Martins Lane and move back down Moat Lane, where it will turn back into Digbeth on the inner city carriageway.
At the Alcester Street junction, floats will proceed towards Camp Hill with marching bands turning into Alcester Street. The parade will finish at approximately 2pm, with the massed pipe bands marching down to the Irish Centre at 2.30pm, led by St Patrick.
An area around the Irish Centre, consisting of Bradford Street car park, Birchall Street, Chapel House, Stoneyard and Green Street will be closed to traffic. Road closures will be in place from 6am, with Digbeth High Street being re-opened from 6pm and closures around the Irish Centre being lifted at 7pm.
An Irish market and food stalls will be located in Birchall Street and Chapel House, with children’s rides and inflatables in Bradford Street car park. This area will be known as the Emerald Village.
In addition to the St Patrick’s Day activities, there will also be a live music stage in Bradford Street, showcasing local bands playing the finest Irish music from 12.30pm to 5.30pm.
Councillor Ian Ward, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “Birmingham has a strong Irish community and the St Patrick’s Day Parade is always one of the highlights of the city’s events calendar, offering a fantastic opportunity for people to come together.
“In addition to the spectacular parade, the event will also see the return of the popular Emerald Village, showcasing the best of Birmingham’s Irish culture through food, craft stalls and live music. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy St Patrick’s Day.”
For further information, please telephone 0121 604 6111 or visit www.stpatricksbirmingham.com.
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