DES MOINES, Iowa — The 53rd Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in Des Moines starts at noon Friday. The event is put on by the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and has been a staple for Des Moines since 1978, although they had to take two years off due to COVID.

The tailgate party for the parade started at 6:00 a.m. and will run all the way until 3:00 p.m. It is located at 13th and Grand Ave and will have seating and heaters available for parade viewers who pay the $10 admission.

Staging for the parade starts at 10 a.m. on Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. The parade will start at noon at the intersection of Mulberry Street and 15th Street then proceed west on Grand Avenue.

Colton O’Conner, the Chairman of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Central Iowa, said that the parade is a chance to share and celebrate Irish heritage and culture, and takes a lot of work to put on.

“It takes months of planning you have to meet with the city you have to make sure that the barricades are up the fence is up on the parade route you got to make sure that all the permits are met with the city and then just little minute details so it usually starts about February,” O’Conner said.

To learn more about the parade and the festivities visit the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick of Central Iowa’s Facebook page.