Downtown Halifax is turning green on Sunday as the 16th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade gets underway.
It’s back in full scale with no COVID-19 restrictions in place.
Hundreds of people have gathered for the Irish-pride event, with parade participants dressed in green, with clovers and gold, and many more standing by along the route to watch.
The event began at 1 p.m. near Pier 20, and travelled along Lower Water Street, ending at the Historic Properties near the waterfront.
Organizers say the point of the parade is not just to honour Saint Patrick, but to celebrate Ireland’s influence on Halifax. They also want to engage Nova Scotia’s Irish community.
“The Irish are one of the founders here in Halifax since 1749,” said volunteer Sue Maloney-Uteck.
“They were successful, the builders, developers, our former mayor Alexander Keith. You know, the Irish had a great contribution here in the city.”
Attendee Aoife Carr said, “Irish culture is so fun and we love sharing it with everyone. Everyone that comes out to the parades and stuff, it’s really good and we love sharing our culture.”
More to come.