After a two-year hiatus, Montreal sees scaled back but spirited St. Patrick's Day parade

Montrealers enjoyed their first St. Patrick’s Day parade in two years on Sunday, after festivities were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s version was scaled down, with no parade floats and around 500 participants instead of the usual 3,000 to 4,000 people.

But that didn’t stop the uilleann pipers from piping — and neither did the rain. Under overcast skies, their music filled the streets of downtown Montreal as they made their way down the parade route alongside Celtic dancers and community groups.

“Two years after the pandemic, two years with no parade, lockdown — this is opening up safely,” said Montreal City Councillor Sterling Downey.

The crowd was much sparser than in previous years, but those in attendance were enthusiastic, with some even donning green plastic rain ponchos for the occasion.

“It’s a smaller parade than normal, but there’s been no normal in two years, so it’s great to be out here to celebrate the Irish roots of Montreal and Canada,” said MP Marc Miller.

Because parade organizers were given a tighter deadline than usual, there were no floats at the parade — a reality which came with its own merits, according to some.

“It used to be like this many many years ago, there were church parishes and Irish groups and whatnot, and it wasn’t as commercial like it is now with floats,” said Kevin Tracey of the United Irish Societies of Montreal. “It’s kind of going back to our roots.”

Montreal’s St. Patrick’s Day parade has been held since 1824, with the United Irish Societies hosting it since 1929. 

With files from CTV's Christine Long.