St. Patrick’s Day in New Orleans is less a single holiday than a weeks-long celebration filled with parades, block parties and neighborhood traditions that blend Irish heritage with the city’s distinctive culture. From the Irish Channel to Metairie and the French Quarter, locals and visitors can celebrate with music, food, and plenty of green throughout March.
Festivities begin Friday, March 13 with the Old Metairie Irish Festival Block Party, held from 4-11:30 p.m. at Causeway Boulevard and Metairie Road under the Causeway Bridge. The free event features live music, food vendors, beer and spirits, and serves as an early kickoff to the city’s St. Patrick’s celebrations.
One of the city’s most beloved traditions follows on Saturday, March 14 with the Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which begins at 1 p.m. at Felicity and Magazine streets and ends at Jackson Avenue and Annunciation Street. Crowds will line the streets to catch the parade’s famously unconventional throws, which include cabbage, carrots, onions, and other produce.
That same day, the neighborhood comes alive with celebrations such as the Parasol’s & The Channel Block Party Celebration, taking place from 10 a.m.-8p.m. at 2533 Constance Street and nearby locations. The event draws large crowds for food, drinks, and music before and after the parade.
The festivities continue on Sunday, March 15, with the Metairie Road St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which rolls at noon beginning near Archbishop Rummel High School on Severn Avenue before traveling down Severn to Metairie Road and continuing to the parish line.
Also taking place that day is Uptown Super Sunday, beginning at 11 a.m. at A.L. Davis Park. The event features Mardi Gras Indian tribes parading through Central City, showcasing their elaborately beaded and feathered suits while honoring one of New Orleans’ most powerful living cultural traditions.
Celebrations continue on Tuesday, March 17—St. Patrick’s Day itself. The Irish Channel Block Party runs from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Annunciation Square on the 1500 block of Chippewa Street, featuring Irish music, food, drinks, and dancers, with proceeds benefiting St. Michael’s Special School.
Later that evening, the Downtown Irish Club Parade begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Marigny Triangle. The walking parade travels through the Marigny, French Quarter, and Warehouse District, celebrating decades of Irish pride and community tradition as it winds past historic landmarks including Jackson Square.
The celebrations extend beyond St. Patrick’s Day. On Sunday, March 22, the Louisiana Irish-Italian Parade rolls at noon along Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie, celebrating the shared heritage of two vibrant local communities with floats, marching bands, and family-friendly festivities.
Whether catching cabbage along a parade route, dancing at a neighborhood block party, or celebrating the city’s rich cultural traditions, St. Patrick’s season offers plenty of ways to join the festivities across New Orleans.
