BUFFALO, N.Y. — Delaware Avenue welcomed thousands of people this afternoon for Buffalo's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, which finally returned after a long COVID pandemic hiatus.
Of course, 2 On Your Side was there as it marched right on by our station on Sunday afternoon.
Needless to say, people across Buffalo and Western New York were happy to have the St. Patrick's Day Parade back. Rain or shine, it was clear just how happy people were to be out and about enjoying the parade.
There was green, green, and more green during the festive event. Delaware Avenue was overflowing with lots of excitement, smiles, laughter, and joy as people watched and marched in the parade.
It was a cold and rainy day, but it's clear people were just happy to have this parade back in action, and the sights and sounds were hard to miss.
A lot of planning went into pulling this year's parade off, especially after such a long hiatus due to COVID. There were more floats in this parade than the last parade back in 2019, so organizers called it a historic success.
We also and asked city leaders about all the planning that went into putting this parade together. Buffalo Police commissioner Joseph Gramaglia says it took a lot of work, from a lot of different people.
"It's not the first time we planned for this, so we dusted off the books and put together some plans," Gramaglia said. "It's a lot of planning. There's a lot of people to get involved in this, and we're ready for a good day. We want everyone to have a safe time."
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said he has missed the camaraderie, and the spirit, in the years without a parade. He also added it feels great to be back.
Gov. Kathy Hochul was in town for the parade as well. The Western New York native says she's been coming to the parade for decades, every since she was young.
Earlier this week she visited the Buffalo Irish Center, where she said there's no one tougher than a person who comes from the roots of Buffalo's Irish community.
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