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Holyoke Saint Patrick's Day Parade facts for kids

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Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Parade
StPatricksCommitteeHolyokeMass.svg
Status Active
Genre Parade
Frequency Annually
Location(s) Holyoke, MA
Country United States of America
Inaugurated March 16, 1952
Attendance 400,000
Organized by Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade Committee
Website http://holyokestpatricksparade.com
March 20, 2022

The Holyoke Saint Patrick's Day Parade is a huge yearly celebration held in Holyoke, MA. It takes place on the Sunday of the week when Saint Patrick's Day falls. This amazing parade usually brings in about 400,000 people from all over the country! Many important people have been part of it, including former President John F. Kennedy and other well-known leaders.

History of the Parade

JFK HolyokeParade 1958
Then-Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy at the 1958 Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade. He received an award as an "outstanding American of Irish parentage." After he passed away, the award was renamed the "John F. Kennedy National Award" in his honor.

Holyoke has a strong connection to Irish history, even being called "Ireland Parish" a long time ago. Because of this, a group of local business people decided to start a Saint Patrick's Day Parade. The very first parade happened on March 16, 1952.

Since then, the parade has grown a lot! The Holyoke Saint Patrick's Parade Committee, which organizes everything, now has over 100 members. They give out several special awards to people who have done great things for the community each year.

The parade is for everyone, whether they have Irish family history or not. It shows how different cultures come together in Holyoke. For example, you might find local sellers offering a mix of foods like Café con leche (a Spanish coffee drink) with Irish soda bread! Many different bands from all over the country also join in, like the Aqua String Band and the Tian Guo Marching Band.

Sadly, in 2020, the parade and other related events were canceled for the first time in 68 years. This happened because of worries about the coronavirus pandemic.

How Many People Attend?

The Holyoke Saint Patrick's Day Parade has become much bigger since it started in 1952. The first parade had about 25,000 people watching. But in recent years, the number of people attending has gone over 400,000! That's about ten times the number of people who live in Holyoke.

This event is so popular that it attracts many visitors from nearby states and even from Ireland itself. In 2011, a study estimated that the parade brings in about $20 million every year to the local economy. This money comes from all the people who visit and take part in the celebrations.

Special Honorees

Robert E Barrett Jr. in the Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Parade
Robert Barrett Jr., who received the parade's Citizenship Award, waves to people at the 1969 parade.

Every year, the parade chooses a parade president and a grand marshal to lead the event. In 1955, they started choosing a "Colleen" who gets her own special court and throne.

Over the years, many other awards have been created to honor people.

  • The Thomas Rohan Award started in 1957. It's named after the first grand marshal and is given to citizens who do amazing work for the parade.
  • The John F. Kennedy Award began in 1958. It's named after its first winner, John F. Kennedy. This award goes to an "Outstanding American of Irish Descent" each year. Famous people like singers, actors, athletes, writers, and even an astronaut have received it. Many mayors, governors, and senators have also won this award.
  • The Citizenship Award (started in 1966) honors people who are not of Irish descent but have helped the parade a lot.
  • The George E. O’Connell Award (1963) is for parade committee members who have worked hard on fundraising for a long time.
  • The Daniel J. Gallivan Award (1972) is for people who have made big contributions to the parade but don't live in Holyoke.
  • The Ambassador Award (1992) is given to those who help build strong connections between the United States and Ireland.

Media Coverage

Many people watch the Holyoke Saint Patrick's Day Parade, even if they can't be there in person. Over 1.2 million viewers used to watch it on the local PBS channel, WGBY, and its online streams from 2001 to 2018.

Since 2019, WWLP has been broadcasting the parade on its CW channel, and they also offer a live online stream. Other local news channels like WGGB-TV and the Springfield Republican newspaper also cover this exciting event.

Gallery

  • Holyoke Saint Patrick's Day Parade (1973)

    Scenes from the Parade in 1973.

  • Flag carrying officers lead the 2019 Holyoke Saint Patrick's Day Parade

    Police officers carrying flags lead the Saint Patrick's Parade in 2019.

  • Parade floats and bands coming up Beech Street in the 2019 Holyoke Saint Patrick's Day Parade

    Parade floats, including the Peter Pan parade bus, moving towards downtown.

  • Holyoke Caledonian Pipe Band performing in the 2019 Holyoke Saint Patrick's Day Parade

    The Caledonian Pipe Band playing music in the parade.

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