Birmingham celebrates St. Patrick’s Day 2011

The world’s third largest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations were held in Birmingham this weekend as over 85,000 people came out to recognise the city’s Irish heritage.

The event included a parade of floats and marching bands which began in Camp Hill, passed through Digbeth and ended on Alcester Street as thousands lined the city streets in green, white and gold.

Vintage motorbikes, classic cars and steam engines were among the attractions along with carnival costumes, Afro-Caribbean drum beats and Bhangra dancers highlighting the city’s cultural harmony.

Festival committee member Andrew Riley said the parade was “extremely successful” and “a real spectacle”.

“It’s the biggest parade content I think we’ve ever had, probably stretching over three-quarters-of-a-mile at least,” he said.

“Although it’s an Irish-focussed event, we’ve also had a Jamaican drum band, so it reflects the multicultural population in the city.”

St. Patrick’s Day itself takes place in March 17th and is a national holiday in Ireland.

For more information, visit: http://stpatricksbirmingham.com. You can watch our film of the day at www.iambirmingham.net.