Detroit St. Patrick’s Day Parade draws crowd to Irish culture

Detroit — The 68th Detroit St. Patrick’s Parade brought families and friends to Michigan Avenue for a celebration of Irish culture.

Participants were bedecked green accessories: beaded necklaces, clover-decorated clothing, bandanas, head bows and glittering face paint.

The parade rolled down Michigan Avenue in Corktown and offered a taste of Irish culture.

Jason McKay of Clinton Township was with longtime friend Kevin Sining, 52, who both had generations of family with them, wore leprechaun top hats on Sunday afternoon.

“We’re here to celebrate the Irish pride, Irish community and just family values. We got generations of our heritage … we’ve been coming here for the last 10 years to celebrate the parade,” said McKay, 51.

People from Motor City Irish Dance, the Whiskey Wagon, Fraternal Order of United Irishmen, Most Holy Trinity Parish, local officials like former Mayor Mike Duggan, school marching bands and more walked along Michigan as a group and waved at parade-goers who cheered and blew horns.

Green parade floats, clowns and bagpipes, bubble-blowing ghostbusters and dance and song performances entertained the crowd.

Corktown got its name as result of Irish immigrants that moved to Detroit from from County Cork. The Corktown neighborhood is Detroit’s oldest surviving neighborhood, and the Irish were the largest ethnic group of newcomers to Detroit at the time, according to the parade’s website.

The parade typically attracts 80,000 to 100,000 people, making it one of the largest St. Patrick’s parades in the country, the website said.

Jessica Corner of Royal Oak was invited to the parade by her neighbor, Patrick Brainer, who recommended she attend. The crowd of a dozen Royal Oak residents have been coming to the parade ever since.

“It’s the marching bands for me. It’s so exciting to see the marching bands, all the kids. And we’re going to keep coming every year,” said Corner, 36.

Anna Stileski and Justin Scott of Detroit found seats right at the parade kickoff near the Lodge Service Drive and Michigan Avenue.

They said the event is an amenity of living in Detroit. The couple rode their mopeds to the celebration.

“We love the firefighter clowns. The ghostbusters are great,” Stileski said.

The United Irish Societies, the parade organizer, is made up of over 35 Irish organizations across Metro Detroit that donate money, time and resources to support the parade.

In 1958, the UIS hosted the first St. Patrick’s Parade in Dearborn.

mjohnson@detroitnews.com