PHOTOS: Thousands line streets for Toronto’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade

TORONTO — Irish eyes were smiling — and everyone was Irish for the day — as the 28th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade made its way through downtown Toronto on Sunday afternoon.

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, this year’s Grand Marshal, eschewed a vehicle and instead walked the route from St. George and Bloor Streets to Yonge and Queen. The city’s top cop waved, shook hands and stopped to pose for photos with many of the thousands of people who lined the streets.

Walking with Blair was Toronto mayor John Tory, who told Global News his lime-coloured blazer was from Honest Ed’s.

Though it celebrated the Irish holiday (which falls on Tuesday), the St. Patrick’s Day Parade was as multicultural as Toronto. In addition to bagpipes and fiddles, there were steel drum musicians and a marching band made up of Falun Dafa practitioners.

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There were clowns, beauty queens and mascots — including the St. Patrick’s Day Parade debut of Pachi, the mascot for this summer’s Pan Am Games.

Toronto Fire, EMS and police were well represented and there was an entry from the Royal Canadian Navy.

Spectators eagerly snapped photos of the string of silver gull-wing DeLoreans that were part of the parade. The distinctive sports cars — made iconic in the Back to the Future movies — were made in Ireland.

Of course, the Toronto St. Patrick’s Day Parade would not be the same without Pascal Brogan, who once again donned his leprechaun costume and kicked up his heels.

The Embassy of Ireland in Ottawa estimates there are about 100,000 Irish living in Canada and, according to Statistics Canada, a little more than 4.5 million Canadians claim Irish ancestry.

BELOW: Check out images from the 28th St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Toronto.