What to Know
- Live coverage of the parade begins Saturday, March 16 at 11 a.m. online and on air
- It's the 258th St. Patrick's Day parade in the city
- The parade kicked off on 44th Street near St. Patrick's Cathedral and marches up Fifth Avenue to 79th Street
NBC 4 New York is offering exclusive, live coverage of New York City’s 258th St. Patrick’s Day Parade starting at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 16 and continuing through 2 p.m. An extra hour of the parade broadcast will air commercial-free on COZI TV between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. The parade will also be streamed live on NBCNewYork.com. (And you'll be able to watch it in this article here.)
Broadcast coverage is led by "Weekend Today in New York" anchors Gus Rosendale and Pat Battle. Rosendale will be joined in the broadcast booth by Ireland Calls Radio Show personalities Tommy Smyth and Treasa Goodwin-Smyth, providing viewers with a fun and informative look at the parade’s rich history.
Battle is taking viewers on a memorable journey up the Fifth Avenue parade route, featuring the traditional stop at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and interviewing parade participants and spectators every step of the way.
"The New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world. It is also one of New York’s most celebrated and popular traditions," said Eric Lerner, president and general manager of NBC 4 New York. "WNBC is proud to serve as the Parade’s exclusive television home and cannot wait to take our viewers on a memorable journey up Fifth Avenue, filled with the unique sights and sounds that can only be found in New York."
This year’s parade theme celebrates immigration, with the Grand Marshal being Brian O'Dwyer, a veteran activist and immigration lawyer who among other things helped found the Emerald Isle Immigration Center in Queens (EIIC).
Stopping to talk with Battle Saturday, he told viewers how his grandmother had come to New York from Galway, Ireland, when she was just 16 years old, driven by starvation. She was a maid at one of New York's largest mansions on 54th Street, he said. "100 years later her grandson is marching by that very same mansion. I'm going to stop and say a prayer for her," he said.
A native New Yorker, Dr. O’Dwyer was educated in the New York City public school system and graduated from the High School of Music and Art, now known as LaGuardia High School. He received a bachelor's degree from The George Washington University and a master's degree from Middlebury College in Madrid. He also received a juris doctorate degree from Georgetown University and a master's in law from The George Washington University.
