Saturday was the day for our now yearly ritual of watching the Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade. I originally thought it was the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade west of the Mississippi. This is true, but after reading it again I think it’s actually the largest parade for any event west of the Mississippi.

The Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade bears the reputation as the largest parade west of the Mississippi River and one of the largest in the United States. Over 230 individual units mass together in a parade of 10,000 plus participants. Winding through the streets of Lower Downtown Denver on the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day, over 200,000 spectators enjoy a three hour plus parade.

Either way, it’s a fun way to kick off a typically great Saturday afternoon in Denver.  As with years in the past, the weather was great.  I was telling our friends that it’s usually the first day of the year for people to get a nice sunburn.  Standing around outside for over three hours can easily do that will all of the sunshine.  Once again the parade entries were as strange as ever.  The Hare Krishnas were back, and a large group of Star Wars characters joined in this year as well.  The longhorn cattle made an appearance, along with lots of drunken float riders.  The best part is that we finally brought a camera along to capture some of the experience.