SALT LAKE CITY — Irish pride, music, and a lot of dancing filled the Gateway on Saturday as thousands gathered to watch the Hibernian Society of Utah's 46th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade and Siamsa ahead of the holiday. This year, the theme was the hospitality of the Irish.
"What we've done is we've built out something that's friendly to the whole family," said Jameson Mohammadi whose grandfather started the parade over four decades ago. "We have drinks, we have food, we have music, we have the various Irish dancing schools from this part of Utah."
For many attendees, the parade has become a St. Patrick's Day weekend tradition.
"My dad always brought us and we're keeping the tradition going. The family always has a float every year," said Lester Clark.
"I think I just like the enthusiasm of the crowd. When the dogs go by and the vehicles go by, everybody just gets really pumped and excited about it," said Larry Renzetti.
"We have been coming at least 38 years," his wife Lorraine added.
Some of those in attendance, like Kay Saunders, even get emotional thinking about what the parade means to them.
"I got married on St. Patrick's Day. I got divorced 15 years later, and I thought: 'What am I going to do?' because my anniversary," Saunders said. and lo and behold, I didn't know they had a St. Patrick's Day parade."
Many of them now enjoy their parade with their lucky charms — their kids and grandkids — and plan to be part of the sea of green for years to come.
"I think it's a day where people can celebrate cultural heritage and the preservation of cultural heritage, and that's what attracts people from so many different ethnicities," Mohammadi said.
