From marching bands to cartoon characters, the 54th Annual Jersey City St. Patrick Day Parade had people singing, dancing, and laughing this afternoon.
JERSEY CITY -- Kennedy Boulevard was a sea of green, white, and orange this afternoon.
From marching bands to cartoon characters, the 54th Annual Jersey City St. Patrick's Day Parade had people singing, dancing, and laughing this afternoon.
For some the parade is more than just a good time, it's a family tradition.
Christine McCaffery said every year her entire family gathers together to watch the parade from the same spot outside Boulevard Drinks.
"We start at our house at like 10 a.m.," McCaffery said. "We have breakfast together and come out here for the parade."
Live music being played from the PJ Ryan's -- a Downtown bar -- float sparked many people to start dancing, especially members of Iron Workers Local 45.
There were more than just floats and marchers with members from BikeJC, a nonprofit promoting bike safety in the city, cycling through the parade.
The Grand Marshal of the parade, Freeholder Bill O'Dea, said each year he enjoys seeing the diverse city come together to celebrate the holiday.
"I think it's great that we've become a more and more diverse city, but we still have a great parade, a great number of people come out and watch it from all the different ethnic groups in the city," O'Dea said. "It's fantastic."
While he said he didn't feel as though he deserved the honor, O'Dea knew his father would be proud to see him marching in the parade alongside his family.
Other honorees for the parade included:
- Irishman of the Year: Dr. John McGee, a Bayonne physician
- Irishwoman of the Year: Meg Sweeney, owner of Sweeney Funeral Home and Greenville Memorial Home
- Honorary Irishman: Randy Riotto, owner of Riotto Funeral Home
- Honorary Irishwoman: Sarah O'Callaghan
- Miss Colleen: Shannon Dwyer, a student at Bayonne High School who does volunteer work in Jersey City
Hudson schools were also on hand to show not just Irish pride, but school pride as well.
And today will definitely be a day to remember for city employee Tom Curtis, who made an extra special stop along the route to propose to his girlfriend Rahat Chatha.
Surrounded by dozens of happy friends and family, Chatha said yes.
Scroll through the gallery above and check out some photos from this year's celebration.