Announcing the National St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshall

Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty has been chosen as the Grand Marshal for the 2024 National St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

This March, the stand-up comedian and TV personality from Dundrum, Co Down will celebrate an incredible six months at the helm of TV entertainment and the new host of RTÉ’s The Late Late Show, the longest running live chat show in the world and an Irish institution.

Speaking at the launch, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daithí de Róiste said:

“The National St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of our most special occasions, celebrating the Spréach of the people of Ireland, which unites us all both here in Dublin and across the globe.

“As my first St. Patrick’s Festival as Lord Mayor of Dublin, I am so looking forward to watching the many pageants and marching bands that make up this spectacular event.

“It’s also Patrick Kielty’s first year in his role as host of the iconic Late Late Show, and so I’m delighted to see him selected as our Grand Marshal for this year’s Parade.

“I’d encourage everyone to come together and enjoy all that the city has to offer this St. Patrick’s Day.”

Patrick Kielty (centre) at St. Patricks Cathedral where he was unveiled as Grand Marshal for this year’s National St. Patricks Day Parade. Photograph: © Fran Veale/Julien Behal Photography

Patrick Kielty says: “I couldn’t be more excited to be this year’s Grand Marshal and can’t thank the Festival enough for asking me to be part of our biggest day.

“It’s such a honour to be asked and I was genuinely gobsmacked when the call came in.

“When you’re lucky enough to be called Patrick, St Patrick’s Day always feels like an extra birthday and I can’t wait to get the world’s biggest party started on March 17th.”

St. Patrick’s Festival CEO, Richard Tierney: “With more participants than ever before, this year’s national St. Patrick’s Day Parade is shaping up to be the most spectacular National St. Patrick’s Day Parade yet.

“We’re thrilled to have Patrick Kielty as our Grand Marshal for this year, someone who truly appreciates the spark of the Irish and who celebrates it through his work on our screens every Friday night.

“An expert in entertainment, we’re sure he’ll be thrilled by the incredible talent that will be showcased across the city on March 17th.”

Ciara Sugrue, Head of Festivals and Events, Fáilte Ireland: “Entertainment and storytelling are at the heart of St Patrick’s Festival Dublin so it’s really fitting to have comedian and TV presenter Patrick Kielty lead out this year’s parade.

“With the world-class marching bands, pageantry of the parade and a packed programme of wider festival events, the festival not only gives visitors the opportunity to experience the very best of our capital city but also showcases Ireland as a fantastic tourist destination to people around the world.”

This year’s National St. Patrick’s Day Parade, driven by the values of joy, community, diversity and sustainability, promises to be the most ambitious ever, featuring more pageants, more participants, bringing more laughter, spectacle and joy to those watching.

The theme of this year’s Festival and Parade is ‘Spréach’, the Irish word for Spark, which represents the unique essence of Ireland and of Irish People.

With half a million spectators expected to line this year’s route, the Parade will feature 18 pageants and performance showpieces, 14 marching bands from across Ireland, North America and France and over 4,000 participants in what is shaping up to be the largest ever National St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

A fantastic new pageant has been commissioned featuring a collaboration between the St. Patrick’s Festival Community Arts programme and the North-East Inner-City Partnership (NEIC). The pageant will honour and celebrate the Festival’s connection to Dublin’s inner city, with its own residents taking centre stage on the streets of the Capital.

The Festival continues to work with Ireland’s foremost creative pageant companies including Bui Bolg, Spraoi, Inishowen Carnival, The Outing Queer Arts Collective, Artastic and Dublin Cycling Campaign.

Bui Bolg once again partners with Kia for an exciting new pageant exploring the link between Spréach, electric vehicle technology, and the circular economy; while the Olympic Federation of Ireland will look forward to Paris 2024, while also celebrating 100 years of Irish participation in the Olympic Games.

The Festival Programme is available at stpatricksfestival.ie and will continue to be updated as more events are announced. See www.stpatricksfestival.ie for details and tickets. To be the first to hear all the news, join the Festival mailing list on the website and follow St. Patrick’s Festival on all social media channels.