CLEVELAND, Ohio — Marching bands wore parkas, and so did the Irish wolfhounds at the 2026 St. Patrick’s Day parade.
As temperatures hovered in the 20s, thousands of parade participants and spectators suited up to take part in the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade — one of the longest‑running parades in the country, dating back to 1842.
While the crowd was smaller because of the weather, the enthusiasm was unmistakable. Parade‑goers lined the route bundled in heavy winter coats, hats, and scarves, cheering on more than 100 floats and marching units celebrating Cleveland’s deep and enduring Irish heritage.
The parade stepped off at 1:04 p.m. in its usual spot, the intersection of Superior Avenue and East 18th Street. Led by Thomas J. Mackin, this year’s Grand Marshal, and his wife, Bridget McNamara Mackin, the parade made its way west toward Public Square.
The frigid weather was a sharp contrast to just two days earlier, when the region enjoyed spring‑like temperatures near 70 degrees.
Cleveland has seen its share of weather extremes on St. Patrick’s Day. The warmest parade on record occurred in 2012, when temperatures reached 77 degrees on a Saturday, drawing massive crowds.
At the other extreme, the coldest parade took place in 1900, when the high temperature reached just 0 degrees.
Moments before this year’s parade, the sun briefly broke through the clouds — a fleeting tease of sunshine. The heaviest snowfall of the day came and went throughout the afternoon, adding another chapter to Cleveland’s long history of memorable St. Patrick’s Day weather.