PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh's 2016 St. Patrick's Parade will take place downtown Saturday.
Organizers said the 2016 parade will commemorate the 100th anniversary of The Easter Rising, which led to the Irish Revolution and ultimately to the establishment of the Republic of Ireland.
Pittsburgh's St. Patrick's Day Parade is the second-largest in the United States, with 23,000 participants and 200 marching units, including 18 marching bands.
Participants will include Grand Marshal Sarah McAuliffe and Miss Smiling Irish Eyes 2016, along with groups representing Irish and other ethnic heritage organizations.
Saturday's parade will start at 10 a.m., preceded by an 8 a.m. Mass at St. Patrick's Church in the Strip District. There will also be a family-friendly Parade Fest in Market Square from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The parade route will go from the intersection of Liberty Avenue and 11th Street to the Boulevard of the Allies, where it will turn right. It will then proceed on the Boulevard of the Allies to the Reviewing Stand at Stanwix Street.