Pittsburgh ready to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with the annual parade
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - It is the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day, so that means it is time for the St. Patrick's Day Parade here in downtown Pittsburgh.
Here's what you need to know if you are coming down to the parade today.
The parade steps off at 10 a.m. and it begins at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and 11th Streets, then continues on to Grant Street, where it turns right onto the Boulevard of the Allies. From there the parade proceeds to the Reviewing Stand at Stanwix Street.
The parade will end at Commonwealth Place.
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Now with a great parade, comes great road closers.
With every great parade in Pittsburgh, you'll want to get there early. Street parking will be heavily restricted, so find a lot, or ride the T and get ready to walk.
And, be ready for A LOT of people. The parade typically attracts from 200,000-350,000 spectators according to Travel Pittsburgh.
There are also expected to be more than 200 marching units in the parade. This includes bands and floats.
PennDOT and all its Local Safety Partners also want to remind people to please celebrate responsibly this weekend. If you feel you have had too much to drink or are impaired in any way, please don't get behind the wheel. Police will be out in force this weekend, cracking down on impaired driving, and 'impaired driving' doesn't just mean impaired from alcohol.
Of course, the Pittsburgh parade is one of the largest parades in the nation, and Western Pennsylvanians who claim Irish American heritage is one of the largest segments of the region's population.
So today is likely to be a big celebration, as it always is right here in our fair city.