Louisiana Irish-Italian Parade

This parade was very cool! 80+ floats all with tons of throws. Parking wasn’t difficult since we got near the parade route a bit early.
It crosses right in front of the mall so if you need to potty or grab food, you’re right there!
First big parade my kids have been to and they had a great time! They even caught the coveted throws like cabbage and carrots!

This is a great parade. You can have lots of fun, score plenty of throws, and you don’t have to make a day long commitment. The parade starts at noon and lasts about a hour and a half.
There parade has walking clubs that exchange flowers for kisses, local marching bands and plenty of floats. You can see some of the floats that roll on Mardi Gras with Irish and or Italian tweaks to their themes.
There are plenty of beads and trinkets; the primary throw for this parade is fresh produce. The prized throw is the cabbage. The huge carrots are a close second.
There is never a shortage of stew ingredients. Just bring a bag ready to catch!
Lately there has been an increase in citrus so you can get stuff for crawfish boils if that is more your speed.
The crowd is generally friendly and amicable. People are very considerate of kids and everyone has a good time. There is plenty for everyone so there is no fighting over the throws.
Bring a bucket or basket to catch produce and a bag to carry it home. Watch the kids run and play and enjoy the spectacle that is the Louisiana Irish Italian Parade.

This is a perfect family parade to go to because everyone is friendly and the crowds are not overwhelming. Plus parking is easy breezy as you can park pretty much anywhere within a block or two of the parade route (you won’t ever have to park blocks away like at other parades).
This year the crowd seemed bigger than in past years. The weather was great so that was probably a big factor. All of us caught plenty of beads but more importantly we caught lots of vegetables! How can you not catch a ton of veggies when you have over 80 floats (most of them double deckers) throwing stuff to you.
Family, convenience, booze, and veggies! I love the Irish-​Italian parade in Metry!

People from other cities often give me a funny look when I mentioned the Irish-​Italian Parade. Yes, the Irish and Italians get along and have a big parade together.
This parade goes down Vets and contains both floats and marching groups. You’ll find some beads and other Mardi Gras style throws but also the vegetables you find in St. Patty’s day parades (like cabbage).
Overall a good parade but it suffers from coming not just after Mardi Gras but usually right after the St. Patrick’s Day parade, so a lot of people are paraded out.

In Jefferson Parish the Irish and Italians combine forces and do a combined St. Patrick’s & St. Joseph’s Day parade at the Louisiana Irish-​Italian Parade. This parade is a larger event with traditional floats, truck floats and marching clubs that follow a route on Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie. Throws include beads, cabbage and other vegetables. I’m not the biggest fan of parades on Veteran’s but this event can be a decently good time. The crowds are usually one line thick so it is pretty easy to navigate around.