'A wave of green': Photos show St. Patrick's celebrations around the world

Credit: AP

If it’s March, and it’s green, it must be St. Patrick’s Day.

Photos from the streets of Chicago to the pubs of London show tens of thousands of people celebrating the holiday on Sunday.

St. Patrick's Day commemorates Ireland’s patron saint and was popularized largely by Irish Catholic immigrants.

While St. Patrick’s Day falls on March 17, some parades in the US were moved up from Sunday - a day of worship for the Christian faithful.

Here is how some places celebrated the popular holiday.

The Chicago River is dyed green for St. Patrick's Day celebrations Saturday, March 17, 2024. Credit: AP

Thousands of people — many decked out in green with beers in hand — gathered along the Chicago River to watch the local plumbers union boats turn the water green.

Organisers say the tradition, started by the union, uses an environmentally friendly powder once used to check pipes for leaks.

Katie and Ryan Fox, of suburban Mount Pleasant, landed a spot on a tour boat and saw one of the union boats spraying the dye in front of them.

Ryan Fox, 37, said seeing the river dyed by boat was one of his “bucket list” items.

“If there’s a city that does it better than Chicago, I’d like to see it,” he said.

A spectator dressed in his finest St. Patrick's day outfit at a St. Patrick's Day parade, on March 16, 2024, in Savannah, Georgia. Credit: AP

Large, green-garbed crowds also lined the streets of Savannah, Georgia for the bicentennial of a parade that began with a few dozen Irish immigrants in 1824.

It’s now one of the South’s major annual events, much so that the Savannah area had nearly 18,000 hotel rooms booked for the weekend.

US President Joe Biden, who has Irish heritage, was also seen sporting a green tie in Washington DC this weekend.

President Joe Biden also celebrated the holiday by wearing a green tie. Credit: AP

Meanwhile, people in Dublin lined the streets to watch the famous St Patrick’s Day parade.

Attendees wearing shamrock-shaped sunglasses, Irish jerseys and leprechaun hats thronged the streets of the Irish capital ahead of the parade’s midday start.

Visitors travelled from as far away as Bolivia, California and China to catch a glimpse of the vibrant spectacle.

Children from Dromcondra wait for the St Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin on March 17, 2024. Credit: PA

Elsewhere in the UK, including Hampshire, London and Birmingham, people took part in street parties and parades.

There was colour, song and silliness - a "wave of green" as one attendee in London said.

Irish Guardsmen lift their headwear to cheer on the Parade Square in Aldershot, during a St Patrick's Day parade on March 17, 2024. Credit: PA
A member of the crowd at the St Patrick's Day Parade in central London on March 17, 2024. Credit: PA

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