Half a million people are expected to throng the streets of Dublin City for the annual St Patrick’s Day parade through the centre of the capital. On Sunday, Boston is expecting double that for its St Patrick’s day parade — one of the oldest in the world — through “Southie”, but it comes as officials have warned of a “zero tolerance” for the kind of behaviour that has plagued the celebrations in recent years. "It was a black mark on this parade run by the veterans, and it didn't shine the best that Southie has to offer," Randy Greeley, commander of the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, said of 2024’s parade. American Revolutionary War reenactors fire musket blanks during the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in South Boston, Massachusetts, on March 19, 2017. It’s an altogether different vibe just 90 minutes down the road in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where preparations are almost complete for their own St Patrick’s day celebrations.

Source: Irish Examiner March 14, 2026 16:00 UTC