Ladders are a common sight each year lining the St Patrick’s Day parade route in Dublin. But next Monday the need for them won’t be as great as the organisers are promising better visibility for on-street spectators.
St Patrick’s Festival director Richard Tierney said many of the floats have been built higher than they were in recent years to allow young people to see what is going on.
“We are restricted by the Luas line, but, outside the Luas line, a lot of the floats will expand. We have the community groups who, instead of being on the ground, will be on the floats. This year it is going to be taller.”
Not everything will be on stilts, however, with 12 marching bands from across Ireland, North America and Austria scheduled to perform.
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Actor Victoria Smurfit, recently nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Irish Film and Television Awards for her performance as Maud O’Hara in the TV series Rivals, will be the 2025 grand marshal.
The 4km route will be the same as usual from Parnell Square to Christchurch Cathedral. The theme of this year’s festival is Adventures (Eachtraí).
As was common last year, off-licences in Dublin city will only open from 12.30pm.
Gardaí say they will have 1,000 officers on duty throughout the day in Dublin augmented by some 500 security personnel. Many of them will be stationed around Temple Bar.
