Please note that this event has already occured.
Key information
Date: Sunday 17 March 2024
Time: 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Venue: Trafalgar Square, Westminster, London, WC2N 5DN, GB
Cost: Free
About the event
Come and celebrate London’s St Patrick’s Day Festival on Sunday 17 March in Trafalgar Square. There’ll be the best of Irish arts, culture, food, music to enjoy, and more, including the spectacular annual parade.
The Mayor’s annual shindig has become a highlight of London’s cultural calendar, as Londoners and visitors unite in celebrating the great contributions Irish people have made to the city.
St Patrick’s Day is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the enduring strength of the relationship between the British and Irish people.
Irish national treasure Panti Bliss will be Grand Marshal of this year’s spectacular parade. More than 50,000 people are expected to join the annual procession of Irish marching bands, dance troupes and pageantry. The parade starts at Hyde Park Corner, then travels through Piccadilly, St James’s Street, Pall Mall, Cockspur Street and Whitehall.
The action then moves to Trafalgar Square with a world-class line-up, in partnership with London Irish Centre. Expect family concerts, children’s films and youth performances, as well community choirs, schools and dancing.
Alongside the main stage, International Chef of the Year 2019, Anna Haugh will be running food demos. There’ll also be children’s workshops so come along and join in the fun.
If you can't make it to Trafalgar Square listen along live on the day from 1pm with Barra and Cal, exclusively on Maritime Radio, 96.5FM and on your smart speaker. Or listen again on catch up player straight after the programme has been broadcast on maritimeradio.co.uk
2024 line up
This year's line up, programmed by London Irish Centre:
- MC/Host - Xnthony
- Eamonn Galldubh
- Irish Pensioners Choir
- Maguire O'Shea Academy of Irish Dance
- The Trad Gathering
- The London Celtic Youth Orchestra
- Kestine
- The London Bodhrán Band led by Ruairi Glasheen
- Junk Kouture showcase compered by Sinead Burke
- The BibleCode Sundays
- Biird led by Lisa Canny
- Jiggy
- Belters Only
- Irish Film London Screen Programme
Feedback Survey
Thank you for taking part in this short survey about the St Patrick’s Day Festival you attended. The results of this research will help us understand in more detail your experience of the event.
The research is being carried out by Walnut Unlimited, an independent research company. The survey should take no more than 5 minutes to complete.
As a thank you for your time we will enter you into a prize draw, with 1st place being £250, 2nd place being £150 and 3rd place being £100. The prize will be awarded as a digital Amazon or Love2Shop voucher – you will get to choose if you are selected as the winner.
Trafalgar Square Map
2024 sponsors
Conditions of Entry to Trafalgar Square
Searching is a condition of entry to this event.
CCTV is in operation within Trafalgar Square.
No bags larger than standard A4 paper size will be permitted.
To help protect the safety and welfare of both visitors and staff the following is a nonexclusive list of items that are prohibited from being brought into Trafalgar Square.
• Bladed items, including; pen knives, fixed bladed knives and scalpels
• Offensive weapons e.g. tasers, etc.
• Imitation or toy weapons, including toy hand grenades and guns
• Items that could be readily converted into weapons
• Component parts of weapons
• Flares or fireworks
• Party poppers and party canons
• Helium filled balloons
• Strobe lights, high intensity torches and lasers
• Hazardous materials e.g. CS gas, pepper spray, gas canisters, acids and alkalis
• Spray paints or cans of paint
• Powders that are not personal prescription medicines or for cosmetic purposes
• Illegal drugs
• Opened bottles / cans of alcohol
• Pointed Scissors / pointed tweezers
• Knitting Needles
• Syringes (unless required for personal medical use)
• Placards, Banners and Flags
• Mobile phone jamming devices
• Full facial Masks
• Items that could cause loud audible disruption e.g. whistles, megaphones, sirens, air horns, large radios / cd players
• Covert surveillance and recording equipment
• Climbing and abseiling equipment
• Tools e.g. pliers, screwdrivers, wire cutters, saws, etc.
• Animals, other than assistance dogs
• Bottles containing liquid, water refill points are available within the Square
• Glass items
Any items considered to be suspicious or unacceptable by security staff that the owner cannot provide a reasonable explanation for possessing
Please also note that when full, we will operate a one in, one out policy.
Road Closures
The Parade will form up on Piccadilly and set off at 12:00. It will make its way towards Piccadilly Circus, Regent
Street, St James's, Pall Mall, Cockspur Street and onto Whitehall.
In order to do this safely the eastbound carriageway of Piccadilly will be closed from 09:00. A full closure of
Piccadilly and the rest of the parade route will be in place between 11:00 - 16:00. We will endeavour to open roads
as soon as it is safe to do so. Barriers will be strategically positioned but will not line the entire route.
Residents of St James’s will exit via St James’s Street across Piccadilly onto Albemarle Street. This will be
managed and maintained through the hours of 11:00 - 16:00 but will be restricted whilst the parade passes through.
Please note that access for emergency vehicles and pedestrians will be maintained throughout.
Due to this planned closure we advise that any vehicle deliveries or collections (including commercial waste) to
your businesses or residencies due to take place are completed prior to 09:00 or rescheduled.
Check out the fun we had in 2022
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Sponsorship opportunities
Interested in being part of the largest gathering celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in London?
Sponsorship opportunities are now open. Benefits include:
- association with a key Mayoral event
- on site branding at the iconic Trafalgar Square
- invitation to the official launch event
- face to face engagement with over 50,000 event attendees
- reach and awareness across key GLA social media channels
- platform to create compelling brand experiences
Please email [email protected] to speak with the team for more information.