San Francisco’s 160th Saint Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival is March 17th 2012.

This Year’s Theme is Giving Back – Honoring Irish Contributions to the Community(San Francisco, CA) The 160th Annual San Francisco St. Patrick’s Day Parade &Festival is the largest Irish event west of the Mississippi. The colorful annual event will take place on Saturday, March 17th from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM with the Parade beginning at 11:30 AM. Over one hundred colorful floats, Irish dance troupes and marching bands, including thousands of participants, young and old alike, will electrify Market Street and Civic Center Plaza. The organizers of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade &Festival are predicting the best one ever.
Over 4 million Californians are of Irish heritage with one million Irish descendants located here in the Bay Area. Keeping with this year’s theme: ‘Giving Back’.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival celebrates and showcases the Irish community, culture and character in all its forms. In recent years the St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival has grown to attract an estimated 100,000 people. Featured groups from throughout the Bay Area’s Irish community include schools, youth organizations, labor unions, cultural groups, as well as the San Francisco Police and Fire Departments. In addition, many local political leaders will proudly join in the parade and will march up Market Street.
Participants don’t have to be Irish to join in the fun. This unique celebration is reflected in the diversity of the audience and in the vast number of the Parade floats and marching bands. To expand upon the Irish festivities from March 4-20th there will be additional events and activities sponsored by The Crossroads Irish-American Festival all throughout the Bay Area.
Again this year, the Festival will be held at Civic Center Plaza, in front of City Hall before,
during and after the Parade. The Festival provides attendees an opportunity to learn more about Irish history and culture. This year’s Festival features, Irish cultural and retail booths, a healthy selection of Irish food and beverages, Irish dancing, live music from contemporary to traditional and a multitude of activities for children such as pony rides, inflatable and mechanical rides and much more. Exhibitors and Sponsors include:Comcast, Snapple, Captains Fish & Chips, San Francisco Native Clothing, Irish Castle Shop, California Irish-American Alliance, The Irish Herald, The United Irish Societies of San Francisco, Crossroads Irish-American Festival, and more.
About The Crossroads Irish-American Festival
The Crossroads Irish-American Festival is an annual literary and cultural festival in SanFrancisco that celebrates and explores the meaningful heritage of Irish-Americans. This year, the Crossroads Festival will run from March 4-20, 2011 and will take place in venues throughout the Bay Area. Visit: Irish American Crossroads

For Publicity Olivia Canniffe

Parade application Kathleen Manning

Festival Vendor and Restivo Information

Parade Chairman Jim Bresnahan

President of UIS President Dermot Philpott