MIDTOWN — Revelers lined the streets for the 256th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade Friday morning, donning green garb and waving Irish flags.
Thousands of attendees cheered as parade participants including Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill marched toward Central Park.
Brian Rule, his wife Steph Rule and their neighbors Jean and Keith Redfern said they'd traveled from Wales to witness the festivities.
"I have to say, just the atmosphere, isn't it?" he said when asked what drew him to the event. "Just looking at the different groups coming down."
"And of course the Guinness — that comes later."
Members of the New York State Troopers Pipes & Drums organization pose for a photo with a parade-goer at the 2017 St. Patrick's Day parade.
A pair of Irish Wolfhounds prepare for the 2017 St. Patrick's Day parade.
Members of the U.S. Army with their trumpets close to the start of the parade route on Friday.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner James O'Neill march up Fifth Avenue.
Martin Brady, 63, left, and his wife Dorothy Brady, 60, right, came from Scotland to see the parade. "It's fantastic," Martin Brady said. "I've never seen one before, so it's really good," Dorothy Brady added.
New Jersey resident Bridget Van Natta, 19, second from left, and her friends from high school watched the parade from the sidewalk in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral. "I come here every year with my family because my uncle’s one of the judges," she said. "I just love the environment and just being here because I’m very Irish, so it’s nice to be around a lot of people in my culture.”
This year's St. Patrick's Day Parade Judges pose for a photo in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Jack Haran
It's 65-year-old Jack Haran's 48th time marching in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. "I've been marching in the parade since college," he said. "It's a great day, a proud day, to be Irish, and a great day to be back in New York City. Nothing does it better than New York."
Debbie Long and Ellen Falvey were attending the parade for the first time. "We came over from Ireland because we have relatives and friends marching," Long said. "We're having a ball."
A trio of drummers march up Fifth Avenue.
Bagpipers march past Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue.
Casey Arnold, left, and Sarah Woods, right, had never been to the parade before. "We're from Pennsylvania and we were just coming to New York for the day, so we figured we'd check it out," Woods said.
Zalman Goldstock and his daughter Ella wave an Irish flag from the parade sidelines.
Steph Rule, Brian Rule, and their neighbors Jean and Keith Redfern traveled from Wales to witness the festivities.