On Saturday, March 9, West Suburban Irish held the 2024 St. Patrick’s Day parade in Downtown Naperville. The parade, which featured over 90 participating groups, started down Mill Street and made its way through Downtown Naperville, delighting the crowd with music, dancing, and enough green to keep even the peskiest leprechauns at bay.
Who can be in the Naperville St. Patrick’s Day Parade?
Participants in the parade included School of Rock, St. Patrick’s Residence, the McNulty Irish Dancers, Weber School of Irish dance, and many more. These groups kept the audience entertained, inspired, and in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit. Mike Reilly and daughter Meg Smith acted as MC’s for this year’s parade, and Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli was featured as the grand marshall.
Interested participants are encouraged to sign up for their slot on West Suburban Irish’s website. Historically, the parade showcases around 3,000 participants yearly and attracts 15,000 spectators from the Naperville area.
Who are the West Suburban Irish?
The West Suburban Irish (WSI) are a nonprofit organization with members from across the Western Suburbs. WSI’s slogan is “Friendship, Fun, and Service” which they foster through their celebration of Irish heritage. Each year, WSI holds two main events: the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Naperville’s Irish Fest in September. In addition to these, WSI also has Quiz Nights and Irish Sessions held at Quigley’s Irish Pub, where everyone is welcomed to partake in trivia or enjoy traditional Irish music. Their next event is an Irish Mass which will be held on March 11 at St. Thomas Church.
WSI’s events help fund the service aspect of their mission, allowing them to give back through events such as their Nora Mora Narovich Awards, which are given to High School Seniors. Although the organization aims to celebrate the Irish heritage, their members come from robust backgrounds – Irish and non-Irish- and they welcome any interested individuals to get involved in all WSI has to offer .
Check out more events in the Naperville community.
