The sun shone on more than 80,000 revellers yesterday as Birmingham celebrated what has become one of the world’s largest St Patrick’s parades.
Crowds lined the streets of Digbeth as the parade, led by six champion Irish dancers, began at Camp Hill and wound its way up the High Street towards the Bullring before ending in the heart of the Irish Quarter at Alcester Street,
Floats, classic cars and motorbikes plus steam engines, an American civil war re-enactment group and a massed display of tractors also featured in the parade, with the city’s multicultural heritage shown by representatives of the city’s Polish, Chinese and Indian communities.
After the parade the Emerald Fringe on Bradford Street and Birchall Street featured a fun fair and traditional market stalls. The day’s festivities were the high point of the St Patrick’s festival which runs until 19th March and features amongst other activities live music, film shows and TV coverage of the Cheltenham Festival.
Despite the large numbers of people on the streets and the copious quantity of Guinness consumed, police said no incidents had been reported.
