St. Patrick's Day in Montreal: Here's what to know about event, traffic and weather
Montreal is turning green for the weekend as it gears up for the 199th annual St. Patrick's Parade. Here's everything you need to know.
Organized by the United Irish Societies of Montreal, montreal's famous parade takes place on Sunday, March 17, beginning at noon along de Maisonneuve Street from Fort Street to Jeanne-Mance.
The three hour-parade will feature a sea of green, with hundreds of floats, dancers, marching bands, Irish wolfhounds and performers, all celebrating the Irish community.
Leading the parade is Grand Marshal Mike Kennedy, and Patty McCann is serving as chief reviewing officer.
The parade will feature the St. Patrick's Queen, Chloe Miller, and her court: Julia Rochford, Madison Lalonde, Mia Simard and Shaeleigh Rose Spracklin.
The first St. Patrick's Day parade in Montreal took place in 1824, making it the oldest of its kind in Canada.
Hudson parade
Those living west of the city might instead try their luck at the St Patrick's Parade Irish Festival Parade in Hudson. Organized by the Soulanges Irish Society, it takes place Saturday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Hudson Main Street.
Brian Greenway of April Wine will serve as Grand Marshal, and Irishwoman of the Year is Kim Sullivan, weather specialist at Global News.
Rawdon festival
St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated in the Lanaudiere town of Rawdon, north of Montreal, for the past 45 years. This year is no exception, with three days of festivities, culminating in the parade. It starts at 2 p.m. on Queen Street, ending at Church St.
Here's a full list of activities for the weekend festival.
Traffic notes
Drivers take note: the closure of the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge this weekend will impact traffic in Hudson and for any drivers coming in to Montreal from Vaudreuil-Dorion.
Also: On Sunday in the Ville-Marie borough, de Maisonneuve Boulevard will be closed between Fort Street and Jeanne-Mance Street from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
St. Patrick's Day Parade route for March 17, 2024.
Full weekend road closures here.
Pub crawls, breakfasts and events
Many pubs across the city in the downtown area have celebrations underway, including traditions like Irish breakfast, serving green beer, playing Irish music, and hosting pub crawls.
CTV Montreal will host a breakfast at Hurley's Irish Pub, starting at 8 a.m. Montreal Pipes and Drums will perform.
Weather
Those attending the parade might want to bring a rain poncho.
While the steadiest rain this weekend is expected to fall Saturday night into Sunday morning, there could still be scattered showers in time for the parade.
The temperature around noon will be 6 C, while the daytime high on Sunday is expected to climb to 7 C.
Send us your photos
Do you have photos dressed in your best shades of green, revelling in the Paddy's Day fun? Send them to us for a photo gallery: MontrealDigitalNews@BellMedia.ca
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Tornadoes collapse buildings and level homes in Nebraska and Iowa
Tornadoes wreaked havoc Friday in the Midwest, causing a building to collapse with dozens of people inside and destroying and damaging hundreds of homes, many around Omaha, Neb.
From pop to politics, what to know as Sweden prepares for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest
Taking place in May in Malmo, Sweden, the 68th annual competition will see acts from 37 countries vie for the continent’s pop crown in a feelgood extravaganza that strives — not always successfully – to banish international strife and division. And you don’t have to be in Europe to watch, or to help pick the winner.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.
Britney Spears settles long-running legal dispute with estranged father, finally bringing ultimate end to conservatorship
Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.