St. Patrick’s Parade: A Cherished Tradition Continues To Grow

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It was an extra lucky day as thousands celebrated Fargo’s biggest parade of the year.

A sea of green lined the streets of Broadway, all to celebrate the 20th annual Fargo-Moorhead St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

It’s a tradition that continues to grow in Fargo, and as I found out, many have a few traditions of their own.
 
Carley and Celsey have been attending the FM St. Patrick’s Day parade since they can remember.
 
“We’ve been doing it for a really long time we have pictures from when we were little all greened out, green hair and everything,” says Carley Knudsen of Christine, N.D.
 
But Carley and Celsey aren’t watching the parade, they’re in it.
 
“You just dance around in the costume and no one knows, you can be as silly as you want and the kids love it,” says Knudsen.
 
As kids strategically line the street hoping to get lucky with the most candy, they’re not the only ones joining in on the fun.

Even North Dakota Governor Candidate Doug Burgum dressed for the occasion.
 
“When you see the community that’s here today, whether you’re Irish or not Irish, I mean everybody is wearing green. Doesn’t matter if you went to NDSU or UND.  I’m seeing both colors here today,” says governor candidate, Doug Burgum.
 
Crowd organizers expect between 20 and 30,000 people to line the streets of Broadway to catch a glimpse of this year’s parade.
 
“We’ve got 65 degrees, it’s beautiful and winter is over,” says parade committee member, Kim Mahli.
 
Weather that was a little different on this day 20 years ago.
 
“Our first parade in 1996 had just a handful of people and we were cancelled the day before because of a blizzard if you can imagine,” says Mahli.
 
Hana is from the Twin Cities but she still makes it every year, and she has the buttons to prove it.
 
“I wear this tie about every year and it has a lot of the buttons that I’ve worn in the past,” says Hana of Minneapolis.
 
And as people from all over North Dakota join in on the celebrations, many also celebrate the people who brought them here today.
 
“Most of us have had grandparents or great grandparents that have moved to North Dakota. I think it’s a celebration of all of our roots,” says Burgum.
 
Parade organizers say close to 100 groups filled the parade, but that doesn’t include all the people who show up and decide they want to join in too.

Just another tradition that makes this parade one of the luckiest.