It’s been half a century since the first St. Patrick’s Parade of Washington, and this year’s event will celebrate that fact! On Sunday, March 15th, the 50th annual St. Patrick’s Parade will embark from the National Mall on its annual journey around the city, complete with colorful floats and marching performers.

Back when the parade began in the early ‘70s, it was little more than a few hundred Irish culture enthusiasts strutting down Massachusetts Ave the weekend before St. Paddy’s Day. Today, thousands gather for the mile-long procession along Constitution Avenue. It usually takes two or three hours for the participants to make their way from 7th to 17th Street, so you’ll have plenty of time to catch a piece of the parade even if you’re not standing on the sidewalk when it begins at noon.