Thousands show up for Dallas' St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival

DALLAS - Thousands showed up to Greenville Ave. in Dallas on Saturday for the largest St. Patrick's parade in the southwest.

It was a sea of green as everyone dressed the part for the Dallas St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival presented by the Dallas Mavericks.

"Out of all the cities in Texas, Dallas honestly does it the best for St. Patrick's Day,” said Elias Rangel, who is visiting from San Antonio.

This year marks 40 years of festivities.

In tribute, they honored all the former parade presidents, along with the current one.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings was the parade’s grand marshal.

“Just building memories. Growing up, my parents always built memories with us and I still remember them from way back. So I want to do it with my family, my son, have them remember these times with all of our family,” said Cameron White, whose family attended the parade.

It has grown to be the largest St. Patrick's parade in the southwest, with more than 125,000 attendees and nearly 100 floats.

A big part of this event is the tailgating and the food.

Jake Beyer has had a tailgate for the past 10 years.

“Started with me and a pickup and about four buddies,” he said. “I think we had 10 people out the first year. It grew from there.”

Now, his tailgate is so big, they have fencing, security and a U-Haul to bring in all their tailgate equipment.

His friends thank him for it, but they also know the tailgate fee is going toward a good cause - the scholarship fund created by the Greenville Avenue Area Business Association.

Dallas ISD seniors are the ones who benefit from the parade proceeds.

“I’ve heard stories from parents who’ve said, we wouldn’t have been able to pay for books or we wouldn’t have been able to pay for class fees if it had not been for this scholarship, So, yeah, it’s a really big deal,” said Kevin Vela, with the Greenville Avenue Area Business Association.

If you would like to donate to the scholarship fund, you can text STPAT40 to #22525.

More than $115,000 in scholarship money has been awarded to Dallas ISD students over the years.