Irish on Parade
Louisville streets will once again turn green for the annual Ancient Order of Hibernians’ St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade is set for its 53rd year celebrating Irish heritage in the local community March 14.
“Everyone wants to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, wherever you live,” says John O’Dwyer, Kentucky AOH president and parade coordinator. “Anyone can come that day and feel part of this big group of friends they’ve never met before. That feeling is what continues to let the parade grow.”
The parade will take place on its familiar route in the Highlands neighborhood, traveling up Bardstown Road from the corner of Broadway and Baxter Avenue and ending at Windsor Place. Hundreds of groups participate from across the country, marching down the streets playing music while throwing candy and other goodies to thousands of attendees. The parade showcases many local businesses and brings a festive energy to the area, making this the “people’s parade,” O’Dwyer says.
“Baxter and Bardstown Road are the mom-and-pop corridor for the city,” O’Dwyer says. “We work with a lot of those businesses all year-round to support them, and the parade is one of their biggest days. The parade has moved around a little over the years, but we went back to that corridor and we’re not going to move it.”
The theme for this year’s parade is “Built Kentucky Irish Strong,” which aligns with the AOH’s passion to advance Irish culture both locally and nationally. Established in 1966 on the principles of friendship, unity and Christian charity, the AOH is one of the country’s leading Irish Catholic fraternal organizations, with deep roots in Louisville. The parade is presented by the Hibernian Cultural and Charitable Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization for the AOH of Louisville. The HCCA promotes Irish culture through fundraising events and charitable giving, and the parade helps fund many of its goals.
“Anytime we can make money throwing that parade, we are able to take care of those in need in Louisville and the surrounding region,” O’Dwyer says. “We will help anyone who is in need, anywhere in the country. I’m not aware of another privately run parade for charity. We like to raise money and spend it wisely to get the biggest bang for our buck.”
O’Dwyer says he expects 2026 to be the biggest parade yet. Those who have attended in the past can expect to see many familiar faces taking part, with some new additions sprinkled in.
“It’s most heavily attended by people in Louisville, but we get visitors from other states,” O’Dwyer says. “We’re one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the region. You generally will see 115 to 135 units each year. A lot of the same groups like to come back, and some have been here every year. They do a really good job of dressing up and meeting the theme of the parade. We always get newcomers, and it’s neat to see how others put their own twist on it.”
The parade is annually set for the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day. O’Dwyer says the date helps local businesses capitalize on both the parade and the holiday itself.
“If we shut down a street on a weekday, it would hurt some businesses, and that’s not something we want to be part of,” O’Dwyer says. “A lot of our sponsors are restaurants and small businesses, and they use parade day in their yearly planning. That trickles down to workers getting a really good day that weekend and benefiting from St. Patrick’s Day as well.”
While the parade is the most public-facing event the AOH hosts, many other activities throughout the year help further its mission. The Wearing O’ the Green Gala has become a premier pre-parade event, featuring live music, dancing and food. The Blessing of the Beer and Tapping of the Keg kicks off the festivities at Goodwood Brewing & Spirits on Market Street, where a priest blesses special kegs of beer brewed specifically for the parade each year. The organization also hosts an Irish for Kids Golf Scramble in September, which includes a hole-in-one challenge for a chance to win a free trip to Ireland.
Another way the community can get involved is through the St. Patrick Coloring Contest, open to area students in kindergarten through fourth grade. The top submissions from each grade receive a monetary award and an invitation to take part in the parade. Each child colors the same drawing, originally created by one of the AOH’s past presidents, and submissions must be delivered two to three weeks before the parade.
“It’s a way to teach kids about St. Patrick and what he stood for,” O’Dwyer says. “When the national convention was here in 2018, we challenged the rest of the country to take part, and now we’re in six states with the coloring contest. The kids who win attend a Mass each year, receive awards and get to be in the parade.”
O’Dwyer credits current AOH President John Favier with helping move the organization forward while making the parade bigger and better. He says it fills him with pride to see people lining the streets, decked out in green and enjoying the celebration.
“I start my day when there is no one out there,” O’Dwyer says. “As the day goes on, you see people filling the streets. Everyone is just having fun with each other. The brothers of the AOH work very hard to make the parade happen, and when you see it come to fruition, you feel proud of everything that went into it. It’s a feel-good moment and a day to celebrate our Irish heritage and what the Irish have brought to Louisville.”
For more information on the St. Patrick’s Day parade and the AOH, visit aohlouisville.com/st-patricks-parade.
