St. Patrick's Day 2021 Parade In NYC: What To Expect

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — This year's St. Patrick's Day Parade will be nearly unrecognizable from past iterations, one year after the event became one of the pandemic's earliest casualties.

Wednesday's parade will be mostly virtual, according to the organizers' website, beginning at 8:30 a.m. with a live broadcast of the St. Patrick's Day Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

No doubt, many New Yorkers remain focused on the parade, which was postponed last March by Gov. Andrew Cuomo for the first time since its debut in 1762.

The procession, which normally runs draws millions of spectators as it moves up Fifth Avenue from Midtown to the Upper East Side, will not take place this year, according to the parade website.

Instead, a virtual parade composed of past marching groups will begin at 10 a.m., watchable via a link on the parade website.

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At 11 a.m., an hourlong show will be livestreamed on Facebook, including "greetings from Irish and U.S. political and community leaders" and performances by the Irish musicians Moya Brennan and Andy Cooney.

At 5 p.m., there will be TV broadcast produced by the Catholic Faith Network, featuring interviews with Cardinal Timothy Dolan, parade leaders and the 2021 Parade honorees: first responders and essential workers. Two hours later, NBC will air its own special "St. Patrick's Day: A Celebration For All."

New York joins most cities in canceling this year's St. Patrick's Day Parade. Time-honored processions in Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia have all likewise been shut down, while events on Long Island, Hilton Head, S.C. and Dublin, Calif. have pivoted to new, safer formats, according to the New York Times.