St. Patrick’s Day parade and other events return Saturday

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns on Saturday, March 11. The parade will feature 2,000 people marching, 12 bands from all over New York, and six Irish dance schools, fire trucks, and floats.

The 46th annual parade starts at East and Alexander at 12:30 p.m. Then, it heads down East Avenue until the Liberty Pole. From there, it heads west down Main Street and ends at the corner of Fitzhugh Street. You can see a map of the route and locations for restrooms here.

Some marching bands this year will include The Gates Keystone Club, The Rochester Scottish Pipes and Drums, and The RCSD Districtwide Marching Band. Typically, between 40,000 to 60,000 people show up for the parade.

Other St. Patrick’s Day events

Amerks Irish Night (March 10): The Rochester Amerks are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at their game against the Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday night. The puck at the Blue Cross Area drops at 7:05 p.m. You can get tickets here.

Running of the Green five-mile run (March 11): The YMCA is hosting the Running of the Green five-mile race on Saturday, March 11. The race starts at 10:30 a.m. prior to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It both starts and ends at Parcel 5. You can register for the race here.

Shamroc Bash (March 11): A party to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day will take place on Saturday at the former City Grill on 384 East Avenue. An outdoor patio will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and it will be along the parade route. It’s for people 21 and older.

The celebration features a DJ, VIP Booths, and Giveaways. The outdoor patio, fireplace, main bar, and back VIP bar will be open. The organizers will give away 20 PGA Championship tickets for festively dressed guests. You can learn more here.

Virgil Cain performs at Shamrock Jack’s (March 17): The artist Virgil Cain is performing at Shamrock Jack’s Irish Pub on 4554 Culver Rd. He will perform on Friday, March 17 from 4 to 5:45 pm.

Virgil Cain is a solo performing musician from New York that plays six instruments live (Acoustic and Electric guitars/ Electric Violin/ Keyboards) with looping and sequencing for a full band sound.

Most shows are cover versions of rock, pop, and acoustic songs from the 70s to today. Sets are never planned and always in tune with the rhythm of the crowd. As the night progresses, the energy often leads to the crowd dancing and singing along.