Landmarks awash with green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day
THE world turns green today as St Patrick’s Day celebrations get under way.
From Boston to Belfast and Dublin to Dubai, revellers will be clipping on ginger beards, donning leprechaun suits and toasting Ireland’s patron saint with the beverage of their choice.
In New York, they will even be drinking green milk made by an Irish-American dairy company.
Byrne Dairy is bottling up its popular milk with an added twist of mint and some green dye. The firm has done this since 1976 and, to ensure the shelves are fully stocked with the emerald drink ahead of the festivities, they begin churning out the emerald milk in February.
Across the world, more than 250 landmarks and sites will be illuminated green as part of Tourism Ireland’s 2017 Global Greening initiative to celebrate Ireland and St Patrick.
Stadiums, statues, castles and towers will get the green light to celebrate, with some exciting additions this year.
They include the One World Trade Center in New York, which is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center and is the tallest building in the
western hemisphere. In London, a massive St Patrick’s parade will take place culminating in Trafalgar Square, while in Dubai, the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel also went green.
On the US/Canadian border, Niagara Falls gets the green theme, while south of the equator in Rio de Janeiro, the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer which dominates the city’s skyline, was bathed in green light in honour of the fifth-century saint who brought Christianity to Ireland.
In Belfast, the city will mark the saint’s day with a colourful parade and free concert.
The parade leaves City Hall at noon and will arrive at Custom House Square at approximately 12.45pm. In Londonderry, thousands are expected to take to the streets for celebrations which have a multi-cultural and culinary theme this year.
The St Patrick’s Day festivities will run alongside the LegenDerry Food Festival in the city.
Revellers will be celebrating all types of food and three multi-cultural events — the Ubuntu Global Festival, Urban Villages, and the Communities United Spring Festival.