Bergen County St. Patrick's Day Guide 2020: Parades, Events

St. Patrick’s Day is quickly approaching, and Bergen County has no shortage of parades and events to celebrate the Irish holiday. This year, the holiday — celebrated every year on March 17 — falls on a Tuesday.

To commemorate the day, the month of March will be filled with several parades across our area.

If you are looking to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, check out the full list of upcoming events below.

If you know of a parade or event that’s not on the list, please feel free to tell us in the comment section below.

Parades:

• The Bergen County St. Patrick's Day Parade will be held on March 15 in Bergenfield. This years event begins at 10 a.m. with a mass at St. Mary's Church, located at 280 Washington Avenue in Dumont. The parade kicks off at 2 p.m., traveling down Washington Avenue and includes schools, public servants and community groups from across the region. Click here for more information.
• The Pearl River St. Patrick's Day Parade, held just over the border from New Jersey in Rockland County, NY, will be held March 22. For more information go here.

Events:

• On March 8, The Shannon Rose Irish Pub in Ramsey will host a special celebration for kids from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The restaurant is located at 1200 Route 17 North and more information about the event can be found here.
• On March 15, the Racefaster 5K Run and Kids Fun Run will be held at 9:45 a.m. in Fair Lawn. Click here to register for the race.

The American celebration of St. Patrick’s Day started as a minor religious holiday in 1631, according to National Geographic. The church declared it a feast day, and over time the day became growingly associated with Irish-American tradition.

The annual holiday is celebrated on March 17 as it is the traditional death date of Saint Patrick.

The color green didn’t become connected with the day until the Irish Rebellion of 1798 — when Irish soldiers chose to wear green — since it was the color that most contrasted with the red British uniforms.

To read more about the history of the holiday and who St. Patrick was, visit National Geographic.