Cities large and small around the country host St. Patrick’s Day parades. Your home town may not be one of them. That doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to organize a neighborhood St. Patrick’s Day parade which can become an annual event for you and your neighbors to enjoy.

It’s never too late to plan a St. Patrick’s Day Parade. You may have to start small, but you can use the momentum from the first year to help build up the next year.

Canvas your neighborhood and ask who would be willing to help organize a parade. If you have a neighborhood community center, you may want to meet there instead. Find out who is willing to do what and then start planning. Your first parade doesn’t have to be elaborate, but you want to make it fun for all.

Decide which day to have the parade, what time it will start, where the parade will begin, and where the parade will end. Officially March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day. If, however, that date falls during a weekday, you may want to plan it for the Saturday before the actual holiday.

Check your city’s regulations about organizing and hosting parades. In some cities or municipalities there may be rules you’ll have to abide by. There may also be a cost associated with having a parade.

Ask people in the neighborhood to get the word out. Word of mouth advertising is free, but you may also want to get businesses, churches, and schools in the area to help advertise by posting flyers or posters. They may also want to plan their own float, decorated car, or other ideas for the parade. If they can’t participate in the parade itself, perhaps they would donate money to help put the parade on.

Get community organizations such as the Shriners, Civitan, or Boy and Girl Scouts involved. You can also ask the school bands, veterans, riding clubs, and of course any Irish group you can find. The more people you can get involved, the more fun the parade will be.

One thing you may want to consider is giving away little green and gold trinket necklaces similar to what are used at Mardi Gras. Ask everyone involved with the parade to dress in green. Learn about the customs of Ireland and try to incorporate those into the parade.

Expect to start out small your first year. You may only have a few floats or cars with your first parade. Once the first is past and your neighborhood sees how much fun it was, more people will want to join the fun next year.

Using these ideas, you now know how to organize a neighborhood St. Patrick’s Day parade. So, what are you waiting for? Time’s a-wastin’; get out there and have a great time!