FMG - Festival Management Group, Inc.

 

43rd ANNIVERSARY OF DELRAY BEACH
ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE

43rd Annual Delray Beach St. Patrick's Day Parade

"Firefightin Up The Irish! ~ St. Pats!"

Saturday, March 12, 2010

Parade: 2:00 - 3:30 pm
(Atlantic Avenue from Gleason Street to Swinton Ave)

The 43rd annual Delray Beach St. Patricks Day parade on March 12th, 2011 will be like no other in the history of parades in South Florida.

Hundreds of Firefighters from across the country and Ireland participated last year in this grand event. The complete parade route along Atlantic Ave. will be decorated at five key points with fire department ladder trucks from multiple fire departments with their ladders extended tip to tip, hanging huge flags that the entire parade will march under. Antique fire engines as well as modern day fire engines and apparatus. Fire department honor guard teams will march carrying flags and ornate fire axes. Fire department bagpipe band members from different fire department pipe and drum bands will march and play together. Uniformed marching firefighters, Dalmation dog owners, and professional fire clowns have been invited to delight the spectators. Civilians and parade sponsors will ride their decorated floats.

While you're here, don't forget to visit some of the other attractions in the Delray Beach area. We have a convenient list for you.

For forty-three years now Delray Beach has hosted Florida's largest St Patrick's Day charity parade! This year will honor the founding father of our parade, Maury Power. As legend would have it, forty-three years ago, and spending his first St. Patrick's Day in South Florida, Maury Power lamented the lack of any local celebration of St. Patrick's Day. With just a little encouragement from his pals and a bit of Irish whiskey, he took up the challenge to have an impromptu parade right then and there. Maury left for a few minutes, only to return with his top hat and shillelagh and began a solitary stroll up the middle of Atlantic Avenue (much to the delight of his drinking buddies and chuckling passersby). When questioned as to just what he thought he was doing, parading up the middle of the Avenue, his proud response was, "I'm having a Parade!" Hundreds of thousands of people have attended the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Delray over the years, and it all started by one man's decision! Thanks Maury!