Parade History

Milwaukee celebrated its first St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 17, 1843. One of the earliest in the United States, the parade predates Wisconsin’s statehood and Milwaukee’s incorporation as a city!

• It was the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade held outside of the 13 original colonies
• The parade was originally inspired and influenced by two Irish movements of the time: the Repeal Movement and the Temperance Movement

The modern version of the parade began in 1967 with the Inaugural Shamrock Club of Wisconsin’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Wisconsin Avenue.

• Construction moved the parade route over the years, but in 2002 it returned to its downtown home
• Today the parade celebrates and honors Milwaukee’s Irish heritage and the Irish-American experience with the downtown community