Kansas City, MO. – Kansas City will turn into a sea of emerald green during the 34th Annual Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The city’s largest single-day event of the year kicks off in downtown Kansas City at 11 a.m., on Saturday, March 17. The parade will feature more than 175 entries and more than 3,000 marchers that will be supporting the 2007 theme, "Celebrating St. Patrick in Kansas City."

The Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade has become one of the largest in the nation, hosting as many as 200,000 spectators in past years to watch the elaborate floats, bands, drill teams and local celebrities. The parade is one of several events the city annually hosts that celebrates Kansas City’s deep Irish heritage. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Irish is the second-largest self-identified ancestry in the region, accounting for one in every eight people in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

The mile-long parade route starts near Union Station at the corner of Pershing Road and Main Street, and proceeds east on Pershing to Grand Boulevard. The route continues north on Grand to Truman Road. Due to the large amount of downtown construction for the new Power & Light District, parade-goers should plan on arriving early to minimize traffic congestion.

Those who want to continue with St. Patrick’s Day festivities after the parade can head to Westport, which boasts the city’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day party, or a number of bars and districts throughout the city hosting hoolies and Irish-themed celebrations. In addition, the Kansas City Irish Museum and Cultural Center will open doors to its new space in Union Station on St. Patrick’s Day.

For more information about the 2007 Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, go to www.kcirishparade.com. For more information about Kansas City, go to VisitKC.com.

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Photo Credit:  Photos Courtesy of the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association

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