St. Patrick's Day Parade 2027

About St. Patrick's Day Parade

Helena's St. Patrick's Day Parade runs down Last Chance Gulch on the Saturday closest to March 17, organized by the Ancient Order of Hibernians' Thomas Francis Meagher Division along with the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians. The weekend typically opens with an Irish flag raising at the State Capitol on Friday, featuring proclamations and performances by local Irish dance troupes such as the Tiernan Irish Dancers and pipe-and-drum groups. Saturday starts with Mass at the Cathedral of St. Helena before the parade itself, which includes dancers, pipers, drummers and floats.

The parade steps off around 11 a.m. Saturday and moves down Last Chance Gulch through the pedestrian mall. Past years have paired it with an Irish soda-bread contest at a downtown bar and a $10 St. Patrick's Day dinner (Irish stew, dancing, a raffle) that evening at the Knights of Columbus hall. Crowds have run in the low hundreds at the related Capitol rotunda gathering; the parade itself draws a broader downtown crowd along the Gulch.

What happens

• Parade of Irish dancers, pipe-and-drum bands and floats down Last Chance Gulch
• Irish flag raising at the State Capitol the Friday before
• Mass at the Cathedral of St. Helena on parade morning
• Irish soda-bread contest and an evening St. Patrick's dinner at the Knights of Columbus

Tips

• The parade is Saturday, not necessarily March 17 itself -- check the actual date, since St. Patrick's Day can fall midweek
• Last Chance Gulch closes to vehicle traffic along the parade route for the morning
• The evening dinner at the Knights of Columbus is ticketed separately and has sold out in past years