2026 Raleigh St. Patrick's Day Parade

I

2026-03-14

Yeah

I

No

right there

Look look at that

That's a camera

Look at that camera

We're gonna put that on television

that

Come over here Peter

That's pretty neat isn't it The camera

You know we can't go there

It's probably a very expensive camera fee

We can't touch it

Definitely not something we can

We can't go that way

Let's go to Yeah see she's right

She said there's traffic on the right that says we

can't go past that

We can't go past that

That's right yeah

Should we go back to mom and Libby No

No

That's yeah that's right

So we can't go that way

All right let's go Pete

Have a good one

He

said he had

No nothing in the hallway

Come out

reason

Oh

You

Welcome to the Raleigh

So just to give you Production

My name is Kelly

I have been hosting this parade for about 19 years

and next to me is Willie

And we are live streaming on WIO

Coming out today and celebrating this St

Patrick's Day parade with us

This is the 42

This is dedicated to the

in bringing the party to what it is today which

is why I'm sitting up here

My dad first started this parade in around 1987

The parade was

much smaller And he decided hey we need a real

Saty Interstate parade so we got in touch with the

city

They didn't have

And it's been going on ever since

Shoot thank you

There we go

That might be better

So speaking of streaming on WREL I'd love to welcome

those who are watching on uh WREL.com

Thank you for watching and of course thank you to

our sponsors the Hibernian Pub right down the street Downtown

and Hibernian North locations

Join us for the official after party at the Downtown

Hibernian Pub on Glenwood Ave

There will be entertainment all afternoon directly after the parade

so definitely go down and have some fun on this

beautiful day

And uh thank you so much to Aer Lingus

They are a proud sponsor to the Raleigh Saint Patrick's

Day parade

And if you guys have been paying attention they have

announced a new direct service from Raleigh Durham Airport to

Dublin Ireland beginning April 13th

So we have a direct flight now to our homeland

And I'm glad you are

here

You may be aware of the parade changed routes this

year so we used to stop or at least our

stand the grandstand used to be right in front of

the Capitol Building and now we are here at Glenwood

and Hillsborough just that little bit closer to the Hibernian

Very I think I'm definitely hearing some bagpipes right now

In addition for sponsors I just have to give a

huge shout out to the Raleigh Ancient Order of Hibernians

of Wake County so I should say Wake County

They have given us continued and generous support of the

parade over the years and you'll see them marching in

this parade pretty early on as Willie mentioned

I hear the bagpipes and I see the flags of

the counties of Ireland so they are on their way

Yes You don't know

Let go

I

Yeah I

Hm

Mhm

I

I know it is

Is beautiful

Mm

Hm

Holler at me if I get

Please

Mommy

So everybody we have got our lead piper

Coming down Chris is an avid musician playing the traditional

Irish music at many locations throughout North Carolina

I have the pleasure of watching him perform many times

especially during this season

And Chris is surrounded by the Irish Wolfhounds Association of

the Carolinas

Wolfhounds are often referred to as the gentle giants and

they are the tallest dogs in the world

If they stand on their hind legs they're over 7

ft tall

They're not they are gentle

The fears have provoked

But we're we're gonna say they're always gentle

Happy Saint Patrick's Day guys

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Thank you for being here

I Yeah

Such beautiful beautiful dogs

Mhm No OK

That's a big

like mine

I know you'll be the you'll be the first I

go

Oh you're

Oh good

I'll come say hi if you have time

Yay

Tell Patty hello

OK

And coming up here I see a familiar face

This is our Grand Marshal Mike Mays

We're honored to have Mike Mays here as the 2026

Grand Marshal

Mike is a trusted meteorologist at WRAL and Mike has

been a lifelong weather enthusiast and enjoys sharing his knowledge

of weather and forecasting with students of all ages

Let's give it up for Mike

Happy Saint Patrick's Saint Mike

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Thanks for being our Grand Marshal

You got the ride

I think it's the first time I've seen him on

a Saturday

It's funny

No

All right guys and here comes Agua more memorial pipes

and drums

On Portamo means the great hunger in Irish so this

band works to fight hunger locally and commemorate the 1

million Irish that died in the famine

Thank you guys

Hi Karen

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

And right behind this group we have the AOH the

Ancient Order of Hibernian with County Division

Right now they're carrying those flags

Those flags represent the

The ancient order of Hibernians

fraternal organizations locally they promote Irish culture and participate in

various events

Work hard to raise money for a number of charities

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to our brothers in the AOH

Hi Jerry

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

As always said representing the 32 counties of Ireland 6

of which are in the North Happy Saint Patrick's Day

I

Hey girl

I

Hey Sean Happy Saint Patrick's Day

You may hear these guys without even me being on

the microphone but here come the Raleigh Gaelic Athletic Association

the GAA

It's a sporting and cultural organization based in the triangle

They play sports of Gaelic football

You Always Guys if you want to learn a new

sport reach out to the GAA

They are a lot of fun

guys

Raise that trico

Yeah

I

Mm

I

Right yeah definitely that

OK

I know right They do make it look easy

And coming up right now we've got the Oak City

Shamrocks Youth Gaelic Athletic Association the Gaelic Games Club catering

for youth players in the Triangle area

They endeavor to encourage the families of Raleigh to participate

in Irish culture in a joyful playground atmosphere keeping Irish

traditions alive while still getting some exercise

They cater for ages of 3 to 18 and all

skill levels are welcome

Yeah that's awesome

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day guys

You're looking good

I have to say everybody in the crowd you guys

are all looking wonderful sporting your green

I love the hat

I love the enthusiasm

That

Woohoo And coming up next are my sisters

you County

It is named after my mother Catherine Martin Melled in

her memory and her honor

The motto of the LAOH is Friendship unity and Christian

charity

So these ladies my sisters promote Irish culture and participate

in various events and acts of charity

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day

Hey Kathy

And coming up right behind those lovely ladies you hear

this wonderful music

This is the Cardinal Gibbins High School Band and drum

line

Gibbons band and drumline perform yearly at the Raleigh St

Patrick's Day Parade with off-campus concerts and

And

music

If you hear the microphone shake that's me dancing

And of course who else is dancing but Patty

I The Leprechaun leprechaun The studio

And Patty is so different

Happy Saint Patrick's I've known Patty for many years and

he's the best leprechaun I've ever met

And coming up right behind Patty we have the Enfield

Irish Literary Society

They're bringing 15 marchers to this year's parade

This group meets monthly to discuss Irish authors playwrights poets

dancers and singers and they even visit Ireland

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to the Enfield Irish Literacy Society

We know Ireland came out with so many amazing poets

and playwrights

Of course they did

It's Ireland

They're the best storytellers in the world

Whoa

And now here comes the best Irish dancers

Innis Carter School of Irish Dance

It's in Raleigh

It's been dedicated to promoting and cultivating a love of

traditional Irish dancing music and culture since 1999

And look at those books

OK I could watch them all day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Oh look at the puppies

All right coming up we got the Triangle Westie clan

They're bringing 20 dogs and marchers

West Highland Terrier Wescue Group

This is the best way to describe this wee terrier

dog breed from Scotland and simply to say that they

are full of self-esteem and they think that they are

the best thing around

Clearly those pups

Clearly they are the best thing around

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to the West

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

I love how they are all

up for today

Amazing Carolina roller derby

This is the original women's flat Track Derby Association league

from Raleigh

They have two recreational teams the Dogwood Destroyers and the

Box Turtle Boozers

They are amazing athletes that strive to grow the sport

of roller derby in the triangle

They're awesome every year

I love it

All right let's give it up now for the Triangle

Pride Band

They are a marching band made up of LGBTQ plus

community members and allies of that community

They seek all interests in

Regardless of ability

I

to

And here comes North Carolina courage

Oh let me see that

Oh home opener tonight

North Carolina Courage home opener tonight

This is your National Women's Soccer League team and the

winningest club in the league with 7 league trophies

This is the mascot Rory

The lioness cheering on the team at Fort First Horizon

Stadium Wake Med Soccer Park

They're saying that's the place to be tonight

That is the place to be after the Hibernian after

the Hibernian of course

Coming up now we have the Kilpatrick Irish dance school

They're bringing out 50

Irish dancers in costume

The Kilpatrick Irish Dance School is from Dukewave Arena and

this school holds both recreational and competitive classes for ages

3 to 103 years old

They are proud of their Irish heritage and they love

to share that passion through dance with everyone that they

meet

Bye

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Look at that

Uh let's give it up for those dancers

Happy Saint Patrick's Day for Patrick

Irish fan

Love it

And following our Irish dancers is the Noose River Golden

Retriever Rescue

This is a nonprofit organization run by volunteers who are

dedicated to helping unwanted golden retrievers through rescue rehab and

adoption

They cover the eastern part of North Carolina from the

triangle to the coast and you guys you may hear

me say this every year but I don't know how

a golden retriever would ever not be wanted

I was thinking the same thing

They are beautiful

Thank you for being here

An amazing addition to any family

I've got to give a quick shout out to Briar

Point retirement Community

I have some dear friends watching there especially Millie and

John so I wanna say a quick hello to them

if they're out there listening and Andrea and Rob and

Rob has this amazing new band called Order of the

One

It's an amazing band

So hi Millie

Hi John thanks for watching at Briar Point

All right

Coming up now we have Out the door Plumbing

They have some marchers and a small boat

I even see some people going in

I think there's a basketball hoop out there

Out the door Plumbing serves the entire Triangle area with

sewer water and plumbing needs

We love their creativity this year with this parade is

Happy Saint Patrick's Day y'all

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to outdoor plumbing locally owned and

operated

I love supporting local

Thanks for showing your Irish pride

OK

I

I'll go ahead and introduce Eastern Guilford High School marching

band now so that we get the pleasure of listening

when they come by

These are the Wildcats

They are the pride of Gibsonville North Carolina

The marching Wildcats are an award-winning ensemble so go Wildcats

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

100 years

on Organic and wildlife gardening

I

And coming up right after the Garden Club we have

the Triangle Academy of Irish dance

They brought out 50 dancers

I mean look at those costumes right there

The Triggle Academy sorry not

The Triggle Academy is a world champion dance school offering

classes in Carey and Chapel Hill

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's

Hey

Let's give it up for Struggle Academy

That was awesome

Yes

That was amazing

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

And coming up next is Saint Baldrick's

You all may be familiar with Saint Baldrick's

The Saint Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer and donor powered

charity committed to supporting the most promising research to find

cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy

lives

Their signature fundraising is done by head shaving events

One will be coming up in early April at the

Hibernian Pub

So come out and support everybody

Thank you to Saint Baldrick's

Oh

Oh you can't see

I've got a very

As you all may know Saint Patrick is the patron

saint of Ireland

He was actually not born in Ireland

He was born in Scotland but he came over to

Ireland to bring Christianity to the country and he taught

Christianity by using the shamrock

The three leaves on the shamrock represented the Father the

Son and the Holy Ghost

And I think you hear this music right now

This is the band Celtic Wind

They have 6 marchers this year and they are a

traditional Irish band and more

Let's give it up for Celtic Wind

And I recognize this tune from The Quiet Man

Thank you Celtic wind

The Quiet Man everybody is a John Wayne movie that

is not to be missed

It's an amazing Irish movie John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara

OK

Coming up next is Freedom Ride Rescue

We've got 125 marchers dogs and puppies

This is a foster-based rescue group that takes in dogs

of all sizes ages breeds

In 5.5 years they've rescued over 3400 dogs

Volunteers and fosters are always needed

Thank you Freedom Ride

I gave my first Freedom ride to a puppy a

couple of years ago

Oh

my gosh you guys

Oh Only the best

It was good to see you at the party last

weekend

This right here

And cabbage

Oh my God they're they're a package deal guys

I love the amount of dogs I'm

All right coming up we've got the Little German Band

and Dancers

The Little German Band and Dancers of Raleigh are an

all volunteer nonprofit group dedicated to having fun while promoting

barbarian and German music and dance

They are German but have a long tradition of appearing

at the Saint Patrick's Day parade and are lucky to

be joining us today

We always appreciate your support every year

I feel like you're in a chicken dance

No

And right by the little German band we've got the

Raleigh Oak Charter

Ben Elementary Webrook Charter Public School here in Raleigh a

nature-based school as you can tell with limited technology

The students play outside in all weather and have a

classical education through storytelling and songs

I love that

Devices

Let's get outside

Bye

I mean come

Society of Preservation and

It looks good

OK

Yeah All right

Coming up now we have the Society for the Preservation

of Historic Oakwood

Historic Oakwood own second line band and awesome Mets lead

our friends from the neighborhood and this is the oldest

neighborhood in Raleigh

Let's give it up for them

Thanks for coming out guys

Yeah

Happy Saint Patrick's Day is an awesome

Don't tell the others but you guys are my favorite

I feel like

Now I see

The fun fairy and her friends

Sunny the Fun Fairy also invited friends to join her

in this parade today and they all donated money to

the Autism Society of North Carolina

This is awesome

Sonny

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

That is awesome

Thank you for donating to the Autism Society of North

Carolina

Sonny the Fun Fairy

I want that name

I'll be the fun fairy fairy

We can all be fun fairies

And coming up next we've got the Scots the Scottish

cultural Organization of the Triangle

We've got 35 marchers and dancers

The Scott Organization is a nonprofit dedicated to sharing and

promoting knowledge of and appreciation for Scottish culture and history

with people in the Triangle and Central North Carolina accompanied

by Scottish dancers from Raleigh Monroe and Annandale Schools of

Highland dance

Where did that go OK

Thank you so much to our Highland dancers

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

And right behind those dancers we have Teamsters Local 391

They're representing around 7800 workers across the state from Winston-Salem

all the way to Wilmington

The local represents many including

State and city employees such as the Raleigh Police Department

and Wake County bus drivers

They are the largest local in the state and they're

proud to represent so many people to give them better

wages living standards healthcare and peace of mind

Thank you all for coming out

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day guys

That's right it's a great day to be a teamster

And coming up next we've got our boxy

Meditations and yoga mantras are that are spreading peace and

joy

Thank you Boxy

We always appreciate it

I love seeing you year after year

Thank you

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

OK

No

Bringing peace and joy everywhere they go

Coming up right behind them we have more dogs

This is the Triangle Beagle Rescue of North Carolina

Triangle Beagle Rescue of North Carolina is a nonprofit organization

operating

This ensures that the Beatles

family members and they will be there forever

1000 beagles have been rescued in North Carolina since 1999

and they are committed to bringing

for a lifetime

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Thanks for coming out

to our triangle

OK

Yeah

All right guys

You sit down

We want

now we Ow

35 dancers today

Dance It Out joins us

From Virginia

I was But also provide

And much much more

Give it up for dancing

I

Helping Hands mission just to let you guys know they

have been a part of the parade for many many

many many years

We're happy to have them and we're happy to have

Dancing out

Bye

Oh thank you so much diggy with it

And we are coming to the end of our parade

So coming up next is our Saint Patrick's Day parade

committee

Worked so very hard to bring the parade to Raleigh

This is an all volunteer group every year bringing the

parade to our fair city

Please thank Diane Enright Jerry Ryan Dan Danford Steven Sullivan

George McEvoy Cassie Young

Thank you all so much

Raleigh special thank you to the city of Raleigh and

the Raleigh Police Department

Thanks again to our sponsors

Join us at the after party at the Hibernian Pub

on Glenwood Avenue

Thank you all so very much for the forty-second annual

Raleigh Saint Patrick's Day

Ah long live

Technically Ireland forever

Thank you all so much for listening

Have a great afternoon and be safe

Thank you Patrick's Day

Facing

I know

Bye

Yeah you know they sell in Saint Patrick's Day around

here

I

I got a question

Brand new nonprofit

We have something here

a program but then we are located in Durham

How do we get Yeah Yeah OK wait no I'm

I'm recording but not recording

it's all one word

Wait do it one more time

Raleigh ST

ETS

and then on there they