St. Patrick's Day Festivities: When Irish Eyes Parade

The region is seeing green as it prepares for a Saturday of music, dancing and other Irish festivities at the 143rd St. Patrick’s Day parade today in Downtown Pittsburgh.

The parade is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at the Greyhound Bus station at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and 11th Street and will proceed down Grant Street to the Boulevard of the Allies before finishing at the reviewing stand at Stanwix Street.

Parade-goers can enjoy a variety of marching bands, floats and Irish dancers.

The St. Patrick’s Day parade tradition is a long one; here's a look at how and where it all began.

Marching for Rights

The first St. Patrick’s Day parade in Ireland wasn’t held until 1931 in Dublin, but the first St. Patrick's Day parade in the United States was on March 17, 1737, when the Irish Society of Boston organized what is considered the first recorded Saint Patrick's Day Parade in the world.

The parade in Boston included Irish immigrant workers marching to make a political statement about their unhappiness with their low social status and their inability to obtain jobs in America.

The first St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City was on March 17, 1762, when Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through the city. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers reconnect with their Irish roots, and the Irish immigrants marched to make political and social statements because they were being treated unfairly. Today, the city's parade is the largest in the country.

Irish festivities around town

If you’re not up to celebrating with a few hundred thousand strangers at the Pittsburgh parade, there are other ways to get your green on!

• Celtic Woman, an Irish all-female ensemble, will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, March 18, at Consol Energy Center.

• Carmen DiGiacomo: Views of Ireland –  Photos of the Emerald Island from this Pittsburgh photographer displayed at Koolkat Designs studio are sure to inspire and awe guests. Admission is free.

• Family Fun at Fifth Avenue Place – After the parade, children are encouraged to participate in games, face painting and crafts.

No matter where you end up, local stores such , and offer Irish merchandise to help you get your green on.

Slainté!