March 22, 2026
Come rain, come snow, the 201st Montreal Saint Patrick’s day parade marched on
Montreal’s 201st Saint Patrick’s Day Parade took place on Sunday, March 22, despite the rotten weather.
Starting at noon at the corner of Fort Street and Boulevard De Maisonneuve in downtown Montreal, the 201st running of the Montreal Saint Patrick’s parade made its way along De Maisonneuve, through, snow and slush and across ice, unhindered by it all.
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Still, bad weather couldn’t prevent thousands of people from coming out to celebrate the cities formidable Irish heritage. Surely, there were fewer people than in years past, and that is understandable, all things considered. Yet still, people come out in their droves to cheer the parade along.
The parade itself took place five days after the fact, as Saint Patrick’s day is the 17th of March, and Montreal usually runs its parade on the weekend closest to that date. Not this year. For the 201st, it was the following weekend. A gamble that resulted in snow! Just the way the cookie crumbles.
This year’s theme, Little Shamrocks, Big Dreams seemed to allude to the future of the cities Irish populous – but made sure to include everyone in the celebrations.
Last year’s edition saw early morning rain that couldn’t damped the spirits of the cities Irish community – and snow stood no chance of doing that either. While certainly there were fewer people this year than last, spirits were just as high as ever.
All manor of floats and marching bands, buses and firetrucks made the route. Animals looking for homes from the SPCA, to the usual radio stations and local sports teams, including the newest addition – FC Supra who will be kicking off their inaugural season in the Canadian Premier League in the coming weeks. Rugby teams, the Montreal Shamrocks who bring Irish sports to the city. Even the local Irish pubs were in tow, as they always are.
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As my Mum used to say; “That whole luck of the Irish thing, that’s sarcasm!”.
And as usual, right she was. Yet come snow, and rain, the streets lined up to watch and cheer as the 201st running of the Montreal Saint Patrick’s parade strode past them.
