Belfast’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade drew thousands to City Hall, as organisers incorporated the upcoming Titanic centennial and the success of local golfer Rory McIlroy into the festivities.

This year’s parade kicked off at 12pm and lasted a full half hour, during which the thousands of spectators were treated to sights including: aerial acrobatics from two machine-operated figures; a float bearing the likeness of current World Number One golfer Rory McIlroy, who hails from Northern Ireland; a special Titanic display to commemorate the upcoming centennial anniversary of the ship’s infamous sinking, as well as to publicise the launch of the new Titanic quarter opening in Belfast; and a 20-ft high float depicting an Olympic athlete carrying the Olympic torch, in honour of this summer’s Games which will take place in London and hopefully by extension attract tourists to Northern Ireland.

The parade was, and has always been, a family-friendly event, with attendees ranging in age from 6 to 60, and almost everybody wearing some sort of themed-clothing. The most popular piece of apparel was undoubtedly the shamrock, which could be seen on lapels, hats, t-shirts and even sunglasses. By the time that the parade had ended, shamrock flags littered Donegall Square.

In other parts of the city, people were treated to a free open-air concert at Custom House Square headlined by Scottish bagpiping act ‘Red Hot Chili Pipers’ and 2011 X Factor contestant Sophia Habibis. Habibis made it to the live finals of the popular British talent show, but was controversially eliminated in the fourth week of the competition. Also at the concert, which maintained the family-friendly feel by being an all-ages affair, were folk band Ashelin and The Royal Tara School of Irish Dance.

It was a day of full-on promotional moves by the city’s most popular bars, with Black Box in particular offering free entry and pints of Guinness for just £2.50, in the hopes of attracting some of the tourists who travel to Belfast and Dublin every year to soak up the ‘Irishnesss’ of the day.

But without question, the place to be was in Fibber Magees Pub in the heart of the city. From 2pm to 2am, local musicians performed Irish music and entertained the packed house, with the establishment’s proximity to Belfast’s popular Europa Hotel making it the number one stop for any and all tourists making their way into Belfast for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

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As the internationally celebrated holiday St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, the only question left to ask is; where will you be celebrating? All across the globe this March 17, bars will be packed, streets filled with enthusiastic celebrators and roads filled with entertaining parades.

New York City is known for its enormous and grand parade, Boston for its Paddy’s day atmosphere, Chicago for its green river and of course Dublin, Ireland for creating the holiday.

This holiday is one of the biggest celebrations of the year with more than 100 St. Patrick’s Day parades being held across America each year. This is a holiday where Americans spend $4.5 billion, but where are the best places to spend this money?

NEW YORK

New York is home to the biggest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world. With over two million spectators NYC is undoubtedly one of the best cities to celebrate this Irish holiday. This year the parade will commence at 11am at 44th street and will march up 5th avenue to 83rd street.

There will also be plenty of places to celebrate with a pint in hand. Several organizations are hosting bar crawl tour across the city, some tours even starting Friday night and finishing Sunday afternoon. Prices for the bar tours are averaging $12 a head.

If you would rather find your own bars to celebrate, here are a few that are celebrating in style; Mc Sorleys Old Ale House, Pig n Whistle, The Baggot Inn, Eamon Doran’s and Murphy’s Law. And if you want to join the firemen and police officers after they have marched in the parade for a drink, head to Jeremy’s Ale House.

BOSTON

The first ever recorded parade was hosted in Boston by the Irish Society of Boston in 1737. As Boston is the home to many Irish-Americans and is the most Irish state in America, the city transforms into an all day celebration filled with beer festivals, drunken shenanigans and of course lots of ‘craic’.

If your looking to honor St. Patrick himself in the adopted Irish city, here are some of Boston’s best St. Paddy’s Day parties; McFadden’s, Dillon’s and Murphy’s Law. An Tua Nua will be providing Irish dancers along with Irish bands and a traditional Irish dinner menu.

DUBLIN

If you are lucky enough to celebrate the holiday in the city where it all began you will be celebrating the day with over a million other people. Dublin City lights up with heritage, patriotism and festiveness with an added unbelievable atmosphere.

This national holiday brings families together to participate in and watch the parade and also enjoy the annual festive carnival that runs all day long. After the parade finishes many spectators continue the celebration in one or more of the 1,000 pubs that surround the city.

Some of the most atmospheric places to join in the celebration are Dublin’s traditional tourist areas, Temple Bar and South Williams Street. If you want to go the extra mile you can make an attempt at ‘The Baggot Mile’. This challenge refers to a strip of pubs along Baggot Street, located in the city centre. To complete the challenge one must have at least one drink in each pub, staying no longer than 30 minuets in each and only being allowed only one bathroom break per bar.

Like every March 17, this St. Patrick’s Day will definitely be a day to remember for some, or a day trying to remember for others. A holiday that was originally known as a religious holiday celebration is now seen as the biggest party of the year. Why? Because the Irish know how to have a good time. Slainte!

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Mainz, Germany – Everyone that thought that the German people are serious should experience once in their lives one of the biggest festivities in Germany to change their minds. Well it is nothing more than the carnival season. The carnival is one of the main events that occur in the city of Mainz, which is located in the Rheineland-Palatinade State of Germany, close to Frankfurt. The city is known for its history and being the home place of Johannes Gutenberg.

Normally Mainz is a calm city offering a peaceful atmosphere to its more or less 200,000 habitants. But it all gives a 360 turn when the Carnival time arrives. The city transforms, the streets turn lively and the fusion of colors, music, and parades inundate every corner.  Every year the carnival starts on a Thursday and ends up on a Wednesday. This year, it all started the 3rd of March, at 11:11 am, where all the people was gathered at the SchillerPlatz, that is a square located close to the city’s center. The city was decorated with music stages for the live concerts, food stands that offered the traditional German food, and a miscellaneous variety of costumes.

The first need you need to make sure you count with for the Carnival, is a disguise. It is amazing to see how everyone puts a lot of effort in dressing up and having the most original and amazing costumes. Ages do not matter, you see all kind of people and all kinds of ages enjoying and disguising.

Nevertheless, the most important day of carnival is known as Rosenmontag. Compared to the previous days of the carnival, on Monday the celebrations expand throughout the entire city, and the whole Mainz is covered in parades, and music. This day is the most celebrated in the Carnival since all the people are on the streets looking at the floats that circulate across the city. The people wave at the people that are on the floats, and yell Helau! Helau! Throwing to the spectators, all kinds of things mainly sweets, cookies, chocolates. The parade lasts for around 3 ½ hours, and counts with around 200 floats and 9000 people involved in the parade. Dancers, clowns, marching bands, horses; cheerleaders are all part of the procession.

Mainz Eassenacht Shrove Monday parade is the second largest one in Germany. Cologne and Düsseldorf are also recognized for their carnival. Every year the carnival season leaves a good taste in the mouth, and their citizens are always expecting the next year to arrive, since it never stops surprising. It is amazing to see how traditions are being maintained, and it is a time where the world stops for Mainz, and it is time to celebrate and have a good time.

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