OCEAN CITY, Md. — Thousands of people lined Coastal Highway on Saturday as Ocean City held its annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
The long-running tradition brought crowds dressed in green to the beach town for what organizers say is the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Maryland.
From festive floats to bagpipes, the parade featured a variety of entertainment for people of all ages.
Event organizers say the parade also helps support several causes in the community. Buck Mann chairs the Ocean City St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
“We got bands, we got floats,” Mann said. “We got everything. It just it's good time. Fun. You can see why the crowd is here already.”
Mann says the celebration doubles as a fundraiser for local groups.
“It’s basically a big fundraiser for a lot of charities here in town, scholarships, local high school, hospice, park and recreations,” Mann told WBOC.
Mann says the parade has become a tradition many families return to year after year.
“There’s a lot of camaraderie, a lot of friendships here,” Mann said. “We've got people come up, say hello to me. We've been coming. This is our 20, 25th year. I mean, I've seen your kids grow up. It's amazing.”
Some people were attending the parade for the first time. Brad Whitebread traveled from Smyrna, Delaware for the festivities.
“A lot of green, a lot of green. Pretty excited,” Whitebread said.
Others made the trip from even farther away. Angel Munoz came from Reading, Pennsylvania to experience the parade with his family.
“We like the family orientation of it and the happiness and how everybody's bright, live and cheerful all day until it's family time,” Munoz said. “And you can feel that in the atmosphere down here.”
Munoz says he hopes the visit becomes a yearly tradition.
“I've had a great experience down here,” Munoz told WBOC. “I definitely want to do it again and come down every year and make it a family tradition.”
The parade once again turned Coastal Highway into a sea of green as neighbors and visitors celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in Ocean City.