In the Garden District and beyond, giant green floats march forward under decades-old oak trees. Music blares and the trees scrape against the floats as green beads and trinkets fly from hundreds of riders’ hands in the Wearin’ of the Green St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
We captured the music, sounds and sights of the annual event on the latest episode of 225‘s Between the Lines.
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The Baton Rouge tradition began when former and longtime WBRZ chief forecaster Pat Shingleton decided that the Capital City needed a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. What started as a group of “antique cars, convertibles, twirlers, scouts, close family and friends,” Shingleton tells 225, has now grown to include more than 70 floats, plus marching groups and local celebs. You can read all about the 40-year-old tradition in our 2024 cover story on the parade here.
This year, the parade was delayed a day due to thunderstorms on Saturday, March 15, and rolled on Sunday, March 16. But Baton Rougeans didn’t let a reschedule rain on their parade. Watch our latest episode of Between the Lines here to see what we caught on the route.