Where is the biggest St. Patrick's Day Celebration in the world?

Q: I herd that it was in Savannah, Georgia or that is what my teacher told me. But I could not find it on the internet. I havee to do a report on it and my outline is due tomarrow!

A: Saint Patrick's Day (March 17), is the Irish feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick (386-493), the patron saint of Ireland. It is a legal holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the overseas territory of Montserrat and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is celebrated worldwide by the Irish, Scottish, and those of Celtic descent and increasingly by many of non-Irish descent. A major parade takes place in Dublin and in most other Irish towns and villages. The five largest parades of recent years have been held in Dublin, New York City, Manchester, Montreal, and Boston. Parades also take place in other places, including London, Paris, Rome, Munich, Moscow, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, Copenhagen and throughout the Americas. The biggest celebrations in Ireland outside Dublin are in Downpatrick, where Saint Patrick was buried following his death on March 17, 461. In Downpatrick in 2004, according to Down District Council, the parade, during the week-long St. Patrick's Festival, had over 2000 participants and 82 floats, bands and performers. The parade was watched by over 30,000 people. Some people believe St. Patrick's day is a bigger holiday in the U.S. than it is in Ireland. However, despite this, many Americans travel to Ireland for the festivities. The smallest parade is said to take place in Hot Springs, Arkansas in the United States; this parade is less than a single city block and is, nevertheless, the highlight of the day. Boulder, Colorado claims to have the shortest parade which is also less than a single city block. The first civic and public celebration of St. Patrick's Day in the American Colonies took place in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737. The first St. Patrick's Day celebrated in New York City was held at the Crown and Thistle Tavern in 1756. Since then, the New York celebration has become the largest St. Patrick's Day parade in the world. The parade itself dates back to 1762, and in 2003 more than 150,000 marchers participated, including bands,firefighters, military and police groups, county associations, emigrant societies, social and cultural clubs. The parade marches up 5th Avenue in Manhattan and it attracts roughly 2 million people. The longest running St. Patrick's Day parades in the U.S. are: Boston, Massachusetts, since 1737 New York, New York, since 1762 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 1780 Savannah, Georgia, since 1813 Carbondale, Pennsylvania, since 1833 Chicago, Illinois, since 1843 New Haven, Connecticut, since 1845 San Francisco, California, since 1852 The longest running St. Patrick's Day parade in Canada takes place in Montreal, which began in 1824. The Cheltenham Festival usually coincides with St Patricks day, and the tens of thousands of Irishmen over for the week will celebrate by drinking and betting more than usual, as long as the results keep going the punters' way. P.S. I found another site that says that New York City had the world's largest St. Patrick's Day Parade in 2005. Here is the link: http://www.saintpatricksdayparade.com/NYC/newyorkcity.htm It States: "Last year marked the 244rd New York St. Patrick's Day Parade, the world's largest." Here is another site that said the largest in the world is in NYC: http://www.stpatricksday-corner.com/

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