By Hannah E. Jones
This Saturday, be sure to don your “greenest” outfit for the annual Atlanta St. Patrick’s Parade. Regarded as the longest-running event in the city, the Parade is marching into its 139th year.
The world’s largest walking Irish flag, featured in the 2016 parade. (Photo courtesy of Atlanta St. Patricks Parade, Inc.)
The 2023 parade will be the largest iteration in recent history, with 81 floats, 15 Irish groups, 12 bands and four dance groups — all with a total of about 2,341 parade participants. With an anticipated 20,000 attendees, the parade will follow a one-mile route through Midtown’s Peachtree Street.
Before the parade, there’s also a 5K race, and registration is open until Thursday, March 9. Additionally, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation will host its “Brave the Shave,” a head-shaving challenge to raise funds for childhood cancer research.
In addition to the festivities will be something unique this year — a film crew. Production is underway for “Megalopolis” at Trilith Studios in Fayetteville, and the movie includes a parade scene. To capture an authentic city parade, the production crew will join the celebration. The film is directed by Francis Ford Coppola and features big-name Hollywood actors like Aubrey Plaza and Adam Driver.
Dave Fitzgerald has been honored as Grand Marshall twice. (Photo courtesy of Atlanta St. Patricks Parade, Inc.)
The event will also highlight leaders within the local Irish-American community. Atlanta resident Dave Fitzgerald, and former chairman of the Parade, was chosen as the 2023 Person of the Year. Fitzgerald is a second-generation Irish American, who has visited Ireland over 40 times. He’s played an active role in the community, helping run the Order of the Green Jacket of Ireland — an effort to raise funds for Irish athletes in the ‘96 Olympics — and participated in the 2011 Global Irish Economic Forum.
“To be honored by the Irish is certainly a tribute to…
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