Parades on NYC and Long Island celebrate St. Patrick's Day all weekend long

Whether you’re planning on going to a parade or deciding how much green to don, there are many ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Here’s what you need to know about the Irish holiday Friday and beyond as you make your plans:

Weather

If you are heading out for St. Patrick’s Day, expect a partly cloudy day with mild temperatures with a morning low in the 30s, rising to the low to mid-50s toward the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

On Friday evening, there’s a chance of rain. But if you're outside, the luck may be with you as the probability of rain is slim.

By the weekend, the cloudiness will be gone, giving way to sunshine Saturday and a high in the mid-50s just in time for parades and other festivities. Sunday, although the high will be in the 40s, it will be windy, the weather service said.

“It’ll be a little breezy and a little cooler,” said Bryan Ramsey, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. But other than that, he said, “you don't need to worry about rain.”

Trains

To help accommodate the influx of paradegoers, the LIRR will run 10 additional trains Friday between Penn Station and Grand Central Madison, the MTA said. The trains will be on multiple branches. Aside from the listed changes, trains will run on weekday service.

Find out more about the changes for St. Patrick’s Day: https://new.mta.info/article/st-patricks-day-lirr-service

New York City parade

On Friday, New York’s iconic St. Patrick’s Day Parade will start at 11 a.m. at Fifth Avenue at East 44th Street and end on East 79th Street.

The annual tribute to St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, has evolved into a large parade that will welcome more than 150,000 marchers.

And if you’re watching on television or making your way to the parade in the Big Apple, be sure to check out Long Island’s own Comsewogue High School Marching Band at the processional.

Long Island parades

Looking for a smaller way to take in the festivities on the Island over the weekend, shamrock out to these events and others with your best green outfits.

A few of the local parades include: 

This year’s "Am-O’Gansett" Parade in Amagansett Saturday at noon proceeds down Main Street from the municipal parking lot. At the end of Main Street, it turns around and comes back up Main Street. For more information contact amagansettchamber.org.

In Brentwood, the procession starts on Saturday at Washington Avenue and Clarke Street at 1 p.m. For more information, call 631-273-4443.

Hampton Bays’ parade starts on Saturday at 11 a.m.at Hampton Bays Elementary and will follow Ponquogue Avenue to Montauk Highway. For more information, hbstpatricksdayparade.com

— With Matthew Chayes

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Education: Howard University 

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.

Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation;  New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting;  Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.