NEW YORK CITY — Fifth Avenue will once again be a sea of green filled with shamrocks and leprechauns for the city's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade today.
This is the 255th annual parade — considered the largest St. Patrick's parade in the world, according to organizers. More than 150,000 St. Patrick's Day enthusiasts are expected to march, including Mayor Bill de Blasio who until this year boycotted the parade because organizers previously would not allow LGBT groups to march under their own banners.
Here's everything you need to know to get you to the route (or to help you avoid it if parades aren't your thing):
THE ROUTE
Revelers will march along Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 79th Street, beginning at 11:00 a.m., according to organizers.
STREET CLOSURES
NYPD announced road closures between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Fifth Avenue from 42nd Street through 86th Street.
On the southern side of the route, roads will be shutdown on Vanderbilt Avenue between 43rd Street and 46th Street; 43rd Street through 46th Street between Vanderbilt Avenue and 6th Avenue; 47th Street and 48th Street between Park Avenue and 6th Avenue.
On the northern side of the route, there will be closures on 78th Street between Madison and Fifth avenues; 79th Street through 83rd Street between Fifth and Park avenues; 84th Street and 85th Street between Madison and Fifth avenues; and Madison Avenue between 78th Street and 86th Street.
Traffic will be stopped along the route on 62nd and 63rd streets between Fifth and Madison avenues; 64th Street between Park and Fifth avenues; 72nd Street between Madison and Fifth avenues; and Madison Avenue between 63rd Street and 64 Street.
THE GRAND MARSHAL
George Mitchell, a former U.S. senator who helped negotiate the Good Friday Peace Agreement in Northern Ireland, will serve as this year's grand marshal.
PUBLIC TRANSIT SERVICE CHANGES
If you plan to head to the parade, you may want to take note of the following MTA service changes.
► Subways
• New York City subways will operate on a normal weekday schedule.
• Commuters are warned that the NYPD may make some staircases entry/exit only at the 77th Street 6 train station near the parade’s end point.
► Buses
The following NYC Transit and MTA Buses will operate on detoured routes along the parade route:
• M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M31, M42, M50, M57, M66, M72 and M79
• BxM2, BxM3, BxM4, BxM6, BxM7, BxM8, BxM9, BxM10 and BxM11
• Q32
• Most Staten Island express buses
► LIRR and Metro-North
• The LIRR will operate 16 extra trains — six westbound trains in the morning and 10 eastbound trains in the afternoon. Customers are advised to purchase round trip tickets in advance as tickets purchased onboard will be charged a higher step-fare than normal.
• Metro-North will operate one extra train in the morning with more trains on standby throughout the day based on demand
• MTA also warns railroad commuters not to bring open or closed alcoholic beverages. A ban will be in effect on trains and platforms and in stations through 5 a.m. on Friday. Due to the large expected crowds, MTA police will confiscate all alcoholic drinks. At Grand Central and Penn Station, bar carts will not be in operation.
READ MORE: 10 Other Events to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day in NYC
