Destination – St. Patrick’s Day in Ontario
~ From Shamrocks to Shenanigans: The Marvelous Story of St. Patrick’s Day in Ontario ~
With a last name of McWilliams, we might realize that my ancestor came from Ireland. They did, in fact, come from central Ireland many years ago. After their arrival in Canada, they migrated north of Peterborough, to the quaint village of Lakefield. There they became the village’s carriage makers. Eventually my grandfather moved from the area to Toronto. If he participated in Toronto’s St. Patrick Day celebrations is not know to me or my siblings, but I am sure that he was proud of his Irish heritage. So, here’s my salute to the Irish and my Irish ancestors.
McWilliams Clan
What’s with the GREEN?
If you’ve ever wondered why people don green clothes, sip green beverages, and march in parades full of Celtic drums and dance on March 17, blame it all on a man who likely never tasted a Tim Hortons double-double in his life: Saint Patrick. And while he may have lived centuries ago across the Atlantic Ocean, Ontario has wholeheartedly embraced his special day, sometimes with the same zest as a winter storm in mid-April. As we gear up for the 2025 celebrations, let’s dive into the origins of St. Paddy’s Day, reflect on why we (allegedly) dye entire rivers green, and explore the jubilant festivities planned in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Kingston, Windsor, and Sudbury.
NOTE: If you ever have flown over the fields in Ireland, you’d have seen how green the field they are. Perhaps the is also why the GREEN is celebrated!
The wearing of the green!
The Legend of Saint Patrick (Abridged, with Extra Blarney)
First off, let’s acknowledge that good ol’ St. Patrick probably never set foot in Ontario, though if he had, he’d have quickly learned the importance of layering up in March. Despite hailing from Roman Britain (rather than Ireland) in the 5th century, he became the patron saint of Ireland due to his missionary work there. Legend claims he chased out all the snakes from Ireland, which is impressive until you remember that Ireland never really had snakes to begin with. But, hey, a good story beats a boring truth any day.
The real St. Patrick
Over the centuries, Irish immigrants carried St. Patrick’s Day celebrations to North America. And, because Canadians love any excuse to party in subzero weather, March 17 became a staple on our spring calendar. It’s not just about wearing green and talking about leprechauns (though that’s part of the fun). It’s also about honoring Irish culture and the resilience of Irish communities who helped shape our towns and cities, especially in Ontario.
A taste to the Irish!
Toronto: The Big Parade Meets the Big City
If you love traffic jams and the sweet serenade of bagpipes, look no further than Toronto. Every March, the city hosts one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in Canada. In 2025, expect a colossal spectacle of floats, Irish dancing schools, and pipe bands from across the province parading along the downtown streets. Children (and some adventurous adults) don neon shamrock glasses and wave miniature Irish flags, while local pubs transform into Celtic wonderlands.
Of course, Torontonians take any major event as a challenge to outdo themselves. In addition to the parade, you’ll find cozy pubs stretching Happy Hour into “Happy All Day,” complete with live fiddling, step dancing, and enough green apparel to camouflage a small forest. Word to the wise: ditch the car and hop on public transit. You wouldn’t want to drive right behind a float carrying 25 dancing leprechauns playing the tin whistle version of Danny Boy.”
St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Toronto
Ottawa: Where Politics and Pints Collide
Over in the nation’s capital, Ottawa is proof that politics and pints can coexist in relative harmony, especially during St. Patrick’s Day. The 2025 Ottawa St. Patrick’s Parade promises a showcase of proud Irish societies, costumed revelers, and the occasional politician in a green tie, hoping to blend in and avoid tricky policy questions.
After the parade, many folks head to the ByWard Market, which becomes a sort of Irish carnival filled with green doughnuts, Irish stew, and buskers attempting to play the fiddle while juggling (a performance skill that should come with a health warning). Several pubs host special Celtic jam sessions, so if you’ve ever wanted to belt out “Whiskey in the Jar” at high decibels with a crowd of new best friends, this is your moment.
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Ottawa
Hamilton: Steel Town Goes Shamrock
Hamilton might be famous for its steel industry and waterfalls, but come March 17, you’d think the city was founded by folks named O’Hamilton. In 2025, the local pubs and restaurants around downtown will once again host festive St. Paddy’s celebrations. Expect them to roll out green beer, corned beef sandwiches, and enough Celtic music to wake the entire Niagara Escarpment.
While Hamilton’s parade is smaller than Toronto’s, the city’s community spirit more than makes up for it. Families gather to watch bands march through the streets, local clubs perform Irish jigs, and children scurry about collecting candy from parade floats. If you’re brave, sign up for the city’s pre-festivities 5K run, there’s nothing quite like panting your way through a brisk March morning while wearing a shamrock tutu.
Hamilton Celebration
Kingston: A Cozy, Historic Parade
Kingston loves history, so it’s no surprise that its St. Patrick’s Day celebrations carry a certain old-world charm. The city’s 2025 parade will wind through its historic downtown core, with float designs that pay homage to Irish contributions to Kingston’s heritage. Don’t be shocked if you see a re-enactment of 19th-century Irish settlers traveling by horse-drawn wagons, hopefully minus any real-time horse droppings along the route.
When the parade wraps up, the party spills into local pubs near the waterfront. Kingston has an impressive number of spots featuring live Celtic music, so you can enjoy a pint while singing along to “The Wild Rover.” You might even be treated to impromptu step-dancing performances, where your only real task is to clap in rhythm, or close to it, and hope nobody tries to rope you into a jig.
Parading the Green in Kingston
Windsor: Cross-Border Revelry
Down in Windsor, 2025 sees the continuation of a time-honored tradition: combining Canadian hospitality with the excitement of having a U.S. city (Detroit) just across the river. Many bars and pubs in Windsor go all-in on St. Patrick’s Day, hosting pub crawls that entice cross-border visitors to sample both Canadian and Irish beverages.
The city usually hosts a parade or at least some sort of celebratory procession along Ouellette Avenue, featuring bagpipers, dancers, and possibly an enormous inflatable leprechaun who beckons you to partake in some green-tinged revelry. By evening, the border hums with visitors ferrying back and forth, some likely fueled by the false bravery that only a couple of Irish stouts can instill.
Windsor Celebrates
Sudbury: The Green Gala Up North
The further north you go, the colder it is in March, which makes Sudbury’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations even more heroic. In 2025, the city is once again hosting its famous “Green Gala,” an indoor event that delivers warmth, camaraderie, and pints galore. Expect live Celtic music, hearty Irish dishes (think shepherd’s pie, colcannon, and maybe even a cheeky green poutine or two), and high-energy step-dance performances.
Since this is Northern Ontario, you can bet that jackets and boots will remain standard attire. But at least you’ll be kept toasty in community halls, pubs, or any venue bold enough to offer an outdoor tent. And while you enjoy the festivities, you might just find yourself in a discussion about whether St. Patrick would’ve gotten rid of black flies instead of snakes if he’d ended up in Canada, truly a conversation for the ages.
The Party Starts Here in Sudbury!
Celebrating With Gusto… and Green
It’s hard to overstate how wholeheartedly Ontario embraces St. Patrick’s Day. From the monstrous Toronto parade to the cozy charm of Kingston’s processions, from Ottawa’s politicos mingling with fiddlers to Hamilton’s steel-town jigs, from Windsor’s cross-border block party to Sudbury’s winterized Green Gala, each city adds its own twist to the celebration.
Let’s Celebrate!
At the end of the day, whether you’re celebrating with a carefully curated Irish whiskey flight or a bright green lager in a plastic cup, the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day remains the same: community, camaraderie, and a willingness to find joy amid the lingering chill of Canadian spring. So, slip on your best green sweater, practice your raucous rendition of “Irish Rover,” and join Ontario’s 2025 St. Patrick’s Day festivities. After all, if there’s one thing we Canadians can agree on, it’s that a splash of color, and a whole lot of laughter, makes even the briskest March day a little warmer.
Where’s the Pot of Gold?
Sláinte!
Sláinte!
