18-03-2025
Nice weather brings thousands to St. Patrick's Day parade in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — ! The luck of the Irish brought beautiful weather for the St. Patrick's Day Parade near Midtown and Westport Monday afternoon.
Several families said attending the parade has been a tradition in their families for years.
Everywhere you turn green glasses, hats, balloons and flags.
'Happy St. Patrick's Day,' 9-year-old Trent Simmons said.
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Thousands of people lined Broadway to watch the 51st Kansas City St. Patrick's Day parade.
Erickia Grant's family got here about three hours early.
They sit in the same spot every year – noting 'it's tradition!'
'We sit here, eat our breakfast and wait for the crowd to join in around us,' Grant said.
'We always have this spot,' Daughter Akiya Sharp said. 'We can't sit anywhere else.'
Grant also wanted front row to see her granddaughter marching with the Gateway High Steppers.
One family drove in from Iowa to join the celebration.
Mom Trica Claybourne said this is their first time at the KC St. Patrick's Day parade.
Son 8-year-old Trent was looking forward to the floats, dancing and 'green cotton candy!'
St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee Member Erin Gabert said more than a hundred entries rolled down Broadway — including floats, marching bands, and Irish dancers.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, the FOX4 team and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas also took part in the parade, sporting green.
'It was one thing as a kid, at a certain point, to be like, 'Wow, one day I can go out there and make it', and now to be in the parade, and see everything we're doing, the celebration, the entertainment and hopefully the number of people that are patronizing the stores here in Midtown and Westport down the street gives me a lot of excitement as mayor,' Lucas said. 'I mean look, the KC Current opened this last weekend, the Big 12 Championship, all of our parades, Spring is an amazing time in Kansas City.'
At the beginning of the parade, a horse walked the route without a rider. The tribute was in honor of Shaun Brady.
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Brady, who was a prominent member of the KC Irish Community was .
'Our community is very much still reeling from the loss of Shaun Brady,' Gabert said.
'So, we couldn't do this parade without honoring him, but we also know he would want us to be having fun.'
Gabert also said KC has one of the largest St. Patrick's Day Parades, on the day of, across the country.
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