NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade Time, Route Map And Tips For Watching

Whether you're Irish, wearing green or just glad it's Friday, you should consider celebrating St. Patrick's Day in New York City. The Big Apple is home to the world's largest and oldest St. Paddy's parade, a tradition that started in the 1700s and persists today.

"It’s a good time to let our crazy out," Rachel Patton, a New Jersey resident who attended the parade in 2013, told the NY Daily News that year. "It’s a day of celebration."

If you brave the cold on Friday, you'll be handsomely rewarded: Expect bagpipes, Irish flags, crowds, beads and lots of four-leaf clovers. But first you've got to get there.

Start Time

The parade kicks off at 11 a.m. EDT and will run until 5 p.m. EDT, according to its official website.

Route Map

The procession will leave from 44th Street and Fifth Avenue and work its way up Manhattan, moving along Central Park and the Reviewing Stands at 62nd Street and Fifth Avenue. The parade will conclude at 79th Street and Fifth Avenue.

Tips For Watching

You can take public transit to the parade, but you may encounter problems if you're taking certain city buses. M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M31, M42, M50, M55, M57, M66, M72, M79 as well as BxM2, BxM3, BxM4, BxM6, BxM7, BxM8, BxM9, BxM10, BxM11 and Q32 won't be making their normal stops as a result of the festivities, according to CBS New York.

Unfortunately, no dogs (or any pets, really) are allowed along the parade route, so leave them at home. Try to situate yourself toward the end of the parade route instead of the beginning, where it's usually more crowded, according to Metro. And make sure to bundle up, because Friday's high is 42 degrees with a low of 31.

If you don't feel like freezing, you can always see the parade on TV. NBC 4, the local affiliate of the national news company, will televise exclusive coverage of the event from 11 a.m. EDT to 3 p.m. EDT. You can catch a live stream online here.