Plans for this year’s Birmingham St Patrick’s Day parade have been revealed.

Following a four-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the celebrations finally made a welcome return to Digbeth last year.

This year’s festivities take place on Sun 16 Mar, with organisers promising a bigger and better event than ever before. Following feedback from the 2024 edition, organisers have also said the parade would be heading back to its traditional route down Digbeth High Street.

The parade dates all the way back to 1952 and was the first of its kind in Britain. It was originally started by the Irish community to reinforce their identity and ensure their strong links with their home country.

Whilst, of course, unmistakably Irish at the core, organisers want to ensure the Parade increasingly mirrors the famous diversity and multicultural nature of Birmingham, welcoming guest appearances from a variety of other communities — from Caribbean dancers to Welsh and Chinese dragons.

The parade will kick off at 12pm, when a confetti blast signals its beginning from Camp Hill before it winds through the high street towards the city centre and finishes near Selfridges.