Connecticut and New York – where Irish eyes will be smiling

St. Patrick’s Day – Sunday, March 17 – is a time for good eats and good cheer in the Nutmeg and Empire states.

Maria Regina High School’s first-ever marching band, established in 2021, will again be the only all-girls ensemble to participate in the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 16. The band will also take part in the Yonkers’ parade at noon Saturday, March 23. Courtesy Maria Regina High School.

According to a study done by Chummy Tees, New York and Connecticut are among the top 10 states for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations (Sunday, March 17). New York — which has the second largest Irish-American population in the country with 2,104,929 people, behind California – clocks in on the Chummy Tees’ list at No. 4, after Massachusetts, Illinois and Pennsylvania. New York City hosts the oldest (1762) St. Patrick’s Day parade in the country and the largest in the world. Or skip the parade for a day of music and theater at the Irish Arts Center.

Can’t get to Manhattan? There are parades in Pearl River from 1:30 to 4 p.m. March 17; in Yonkers at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 23; and in Mamaroneck at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 24.

Connecticut is No. 7 on the list, after Ohio and Colorado and before Missouri, New Jersey and California. Some 615,000 Nutmeggers claim Irish ancestry, with many more honorary members on a day that will feature parades, pub events and cultural offerings throughout the state.

They’ll be shelling out some serious green, too: Last year, the National Retail Federation estimated that 61% of Americans spent $6.85 billion on the holiday.