"A little bit of history"

background

Birmingham St Patricks Day festival

The Birmingham Irish Association were so pleased to bring back our well-loved Parade in March 2024 (read more here).


In March 2023, Maurice Malone, Chief Executive of Birmingham Irish Association said;


“Birmingham Irish Association are pleased to bring the annual Birmingham St Patricks Day festival under its remit and will take the opportunity to review, refresh and refocus the Parade, revitalised in the 1990’s. In no small way we believe the St Patrick’s Day festival and the Irish community helped to keep Digbeth alive and turn it into the vibrant cultural area it is today, but due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control it did not happen in this location in 2023.


“We aim to secure the Parade for future generations and showcase all Irish Traditional culture, music, dance, language and Gaelic sports, and the contribution of the Irish community to the City of Birmingham. The Association will be working with participants, partners and Birmingham City Council to see what is feasible given timeframes and budget pressures and location issues. Discussions are in the early stages and no firm decisions have been made.”

Read more here >

parade POSTPONED • 16 March 2025 • Digbeth High Street • READ STATEMENT

support us

We welcome your support to help make sure the annual Parade is a success.

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registration

Here you can either register a float, walking group for the main parade procession.

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volunteers

Learn how you can support us as volunteers to organise and run the Parade.

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some background context!

The Birmingham St Patrick’s Festival is truly a world class event, dating back to 1952. The energy and excitement generated throughout the city of Birmingham during the month of March is unrivalled, the streets of Digbeth become awash in a sea of green.


Following a hiatus due to the global pandemic and under new custodianship we are pleased to announce the return of the St Patrick’s celebrations. The organising team look forward to welcoming back visitors to celebrate and reflect on the talent and culture of Ireland, Birmingham and beyond.

The Birmingham St Patricks Day festival is one of the last large-scale and free community events in the city, but this is only possible due to support from local community, local businesses and the proud Irish community.


The city's much loved St Patrick celebrations will now be overseen by local charity, Birmingham Irish Association, and a cross section of supporters from the Birmingham Irish business network.

SEE THE PARADE MAP DOWNLOAD SUPPORT PACK