Set to be one of London's liveliest celebrations of the year, over 100,000 people attended last year's event. London, since 2002, has had an annual Saint Patrick's Day parade which takes place on weekends around the 17th, usually in Trafalgar Square. In 2008 the water in the Trafalgar Square fountains was dyed green. The parade - a colourful array of floats, marching bands and groups representing the Irish Counties - will proceed through central London from Green Park to Trafalgar Square from midday.
Trafalgar Square will host the festival programme of live Irish music and dance on the main performance stage. The parade begins at Piccadilly at 12 noon, and moves off along Piccadilly, Lower Regent Street, Pall Mall East, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall before dispersing on Whitehall Place.
Trafalgar Square will host the festival programme of live Irish music and dance on the main performance stage. The parade begins at Piccadilly at 12 noon, and moves off along Piccadilly, Lower Regent Street, Pall Mall East, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall before dispersing on Whitehall Place.
In Great Britain, the Queen Mother used to present bowls of shamrock flown over from Ireland to members of the Irish Guards, a regiment in the British Army consisting primarily of soldiers from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Guards still wear shamrock on this day, flown in from Ireland.
Horse racing at the Cheltenham Festival attracts large numbers of Irish people, both residents of Britain and many who travel from Ireland, and usually coincides with Saint Patrick's Day.
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