Quebec City celebrates return of St. Patrick's Day parade after 3-year hiatus
Bagpipes resounded through downtown Quebec City to the delight of dozens of people attending the St. Patrick's Day parade.
Three years after the pandemic brought the celebration to a grinding halt, Irish wolfhounds, Celtic dance troupes, leprechauns, professional circus performers and Gaelic football clubs made their mark at the event.
Stephen Burke, a spokesperson for the parade, said it takes place a week after March 17 to ensure pipe and drum bands from New York City, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Toronto police departments can participate.
"We had to work hard to convince the major events office, the City of Quebec, that this parade was worth reviving," Burke said. "There's no place in North America where you're going to have Boston, Chicago, New York together. It doesn't exist."
One attendee, accompanied by her nephew, said she'd never miss a Quebec City St. Patrick's Day parade.
"We have Irish roots here in Quebec," she said. "I went to school here at St-Pats, and I got married on the corner there at St-Pats Church, so it's very close to our hearts."
