St Patrick's Day London parade: 2020 date, route and celebrations in the capital

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Harry Fletcher16 March 2020

UPDATE: London's St Patrick's Day parade has been cancelled by mayor Sadiq Khan due to the “ongoing threat of coronavirus". Head here for more info.

The streets of London will be painted green this weekend, with the annual St Patrick’s Day Parade taking place on Sunday.

While St Patrick’s Day itself falls on March 17 – a Tuesday – the official celebrations in London this year are happening a couple of days earlier on March 15.

There’ll be live entertainment, floats and pageantry, musical performances and chances to try some of the best Irish food and drink in the capital on Sunday – and we dare say a few pints of Guinness will be enjoyed too.

The St Patrick’s Day parade will champion women in sport in 2020, supporting the Federation of Irish Sports’ campaign to improve coverage for women’s sport.

While Dublin’s St Patrick’s Day parade has been cancelled due to coronavirus fears, it looks like the London event is still going ahead as planned. We’ll update this page if any further details are announced.

PA

Date and time

The 18th annual St Patrick’s Day parade in London will take place from midday on Sunday March 15 and conclude at around 6pm. The event is free and isn't ticketed.

Parade route

Things begin in earnest at midday on Sunday, with the procession setting off from Hyde Park Corner. The parade will make the 1.5 mile (2.4km) journey down through Piccadilly Circus, past Trafalgar Square and on to Whitehall. There are expected to be 50,000 people taking part in the parade, including Irish marching bands from Ireland, the UK and the US.

St Patrick's Day Festival

The parade isn’t the only part of the celebrations to keep an eye out for. There is also a St Patrick's Day festival taking place in Trafalgar Square between midday and 6pm.

The line-up is curated in partnership with the London Irish Centre, and will be compered by Derry Girls actor Siobhan McSweeney. The stage in the square will host a selection of family-orientated concerts and storytelling sessions, as well as performances from community choirs and dance collectives throughout the day.

Families can also seek out the child-friendly zones on Pall Mall East, which is hosting entertainment and workshops.

Live music

Headliner: Imelda May is the biggest name performing on Sunday
Getty Images

As well as community performances and live dancing on the main stage, there’ll be a few high-profile musical guests to look out for.

The full list of times and performers has yet to be revealed, but we do know that Dublin singer-songwriter Imelda May will perform to the crowd at some point during the day. Irish folk group KILA will also perform, before fans and musicians alike take part in a sing-along finale.

For more information, head here

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