Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, USN (ret) will be the Grand Marshal this year as the parade moves down Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Street, N.W. on Sunday, March 17 at noon.

Click To Watch St. Patrick's Day Parade Live Stream Here

The theme of this year’s parade is “Celebrating Service to the Stars and Stripes.” But the mission of this St. Patrick’s Day Parade is as it always has been to celebrate America’s Irish culture.

The D.C. parade has been held annually since 1971, when only a couple of hundred marchers proceeded through the Capitol to today’s mile long, two-hour parade with grandstands along the route.