Spring break 2023, as is somewhat typical for the MMM crew meant Walt Disney World! However, this year we just couldn’t swing the absolutely WILD airfare costs, so we decided to road trip it to the Most Magical Place on Earth from Oklahoma.
The halfway point-ish is New Orleans, which is usually out stop when we drive to Florida. We’ve been to the Big Easy several times and always enjoy the atmosphere, shopping and food. This time we stayed at the Homewood Suites by Hilton New Orleans, as we were traveling with a party of six and needed a little extra space. We had planned to hang out in the French Quarter for a day and just piddle around before continuing eastward. However, as we pulled up the young man at the valet stand was chatting me up, asking about our stay, etc. He mentioned that the St. Patrick’s Day Parade was the next day and encouraged us to partake in the festivities. You know us…we love a parade! So, as soon as I got into the room, my thumbs were furiously searching details on Google and TripAdvisor. We got the info and were at the literal start of the parade the next day!
The Parade
The Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Parade takes place on the Saturday prior to the holiday (or on the holiday if it falls on Saturday). The floats, marchers, dance groups and performers start at the corner of Felicity and Magazine streets around 1 p.m. (or a little earlier, depending when the 12:00 mass ends) and will make their way up Jackson Avenue, turning onto St. Charles Avenue, turning onto Louisiana Avenue and then back onto Magazine Street.
The throws! We were NOT prepared for all of the goodies. Food, toys, souvenirs, beads, hats and…cabbages! Be sure to bring a bag, a big one, if you’re planning to keep them all. We ended up handing out beads at Disney World we had so many!
Small World Moment
Fun fact: My mom is from a pretty small, mostly Indigenous town called Anadarko, OK. I don’t recall why we were talking about it, but this lady next to us overheard and was also from Anadarko! She even knew several of our family members and had a few friends in common with my mom!
More Green Fun
New Orleans doesn’t play around when it comes to holidays, festivities and decorations, so take a little time to wander the area and check out some of the St. Patrick’s decor.
Molly’s Rise & Shine
This place was absolutely packed with revelers! It smelled great, so it’s on our list when we return.
Private Home
Private Home
Private Home
Simon of New Orleans
While we didn’t make our way to any of the other official parties, there were several in the area taking place before, during and after the parade. You could easily make a full day of it celebrating the green! St. Patrick’s Day in New Orleans has a great lineup of all the events.
Post-parade, we went decidedly non-Irish and grabbed a late lunch at Juan’s Flying Burrito. In another Small World moment, we happened to be seated next to the family of the little boy my littles were playing with at the parade. 🙂
This turned out to be a cozy spot with a varied and quite reasonably priced menu with good eats. We would definitely stop by again for lunch.
Trio
Guacamole, Salsa La Fonda and Queso
Kiddie Chicken Quesadilla
The Flying Burrito
Grilled Steak, Shrimp, and Chicken, Cheddar-jack, Black Beans, Yellow Rice, Salsa La Fonda, Guacamole, and Sour Cream
Lunch Smooches
Sometimes they get along. 😉
Oh, and a word of warning…beware of flying cabbages!
The Takeaway
We had the best time and are so glad that young man shared the info with us about the parade! It led us to visiting for the Halloween parade later that year, as well as returning on our way to Disney World for spring break 2024!
How about you? Would you go to a New Orleans parade? Or maybe you’ve been and have tips? Share in the comments!
@magicmemoriesmayhem We had THE BEST time at the Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Parade in NoLA! ☘️ #stpatricksday #neworleans #irishchannelparade #travel #momlife #familytravel ♬ Irish Jig – Irish Pub Society