St. Patrick's Day in New Orleans and St. Bernard

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Petr Kratochvil

growing cabbage

Cabbages, carrots, onions—and maybe even a moonpie or two—are the booty at these parades. Following close on the heels of Mardi Gras, who needs more beads anyway? Catch ingredients for your stew at these area parades:

March 7

Irish Channel Practice March: Watch the paraders get into the spirit with a practice run, beginning in Jackson Square from at 11 am, and making stops at local French Quarter pubs and the Irish Museum. irishchannelno.org. 

March 15

Parasol's Block Party Celebration: The Quarter's block parties kick off at 3rd and Constance, with live music, green beer, food, and plenty of holiday surprises. 10 am–8 pm. stpatricksdayneworleans.com. 

Irish Channel Parade: Get your green on and head to the Channel, where the Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day Club will hold its Annual Mass and Parade celebration. Mass is at noon at St. Mary's Assumption Church (corner of Constance and Josephine streets) followed by the parade (starting at Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas) at 1 pm. irishchannelno.org. 

March 16

St. Patrick's Day Parade on Metairie Road: This annual parade is the oldest in Jefferson Parish, and rated one of the top ten St. Patrick's Day parades in the United States. Expect floats, trucks, and marching groups tossing out prized produce and clover-adorned throws. Begins in front of Rummel High School on Severn Avenue, goes down Severn to Metairie Road, then Metairie Road to the parish line. Noon. stpatricksdaymetairie.com/parade. 

March 17

Irish Channel Block Party: Start the weekend off right with an old fashioned street party. Free music and entertainment, with food and beverages available for purchase at Annunciation Square. All proceeds benefit St. Michael's Special School. 9 am–5 pm. Details at the Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day Club Block Party Facebook Event. 

Downtown Irish Club Parade: Catch this popular downtown parade as it rolls from the corner of Burgundy and Piety in the Bywater, proceeds up Royal across Esplanade to Decatur, then up Canal to Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar—with several pit stops. Kick off party is at the Marigny Brasserie at 4:30 pm; parade begins at 6:30 pm. downtownirishclub.com. 

March 22

Italian-American St. Joseph's Parade in the French Quarter: The Italian American Club celebrates the feast of St. Joseph with a parade through the French Quarter. Starts at the intersection of Convention Center Boulevard and Girod Street, with floats, marching bands, and a whole lot of guys dressed in tuxedos. 6 pm.  italianamericansociety.org. 

March 23

Louisiana Irish-Italian Parade (Metairie): This multi-cultural tradition rolls out all the stops along Metairie's Veterans Highway route. Noon. lairish-italian.org. 

March 30

Gretna Italian-Irish Parade: Celebrating this rich cultural blend out of Gretna, this parade rolls at noon from Burmaster & Franklin Streets to 4th Street and Huey P. Long Avenue. The afterparty takes place under the Gretna Market from 5 pm–8 pm. gacc-nola.org. 

April 5

St. Bernard Irish-Italian Isleños Parade: St. Bernard Irish Italian Isleños Community Parade & Marching Club will celebrate in "da parish" along Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette and Arabi. More than fifty floats and 300,000 pounds of produce are coming your way. Noon. facebook.com/iiiparade

April 6

Downtown Irish Club's Block Party: Celebrate the start of the glorified green season at Washington Square Park with beer and spirits, food, live music by Alpha Tribe, and craft venders. Noon–6 pm. downtownirishclub.com. 

stpatricksdayneworleans.com.