St. Patrick's Day parade held in Vancouver, drawing people from all cultures

The luck of the Irish was in full force here on Sunday as thousands came out for the city's annual St. Patrick's Day parade.

City officials closed off a section of the downtown area to make way for bag-pipers, dancers and other performers dressed in their best Irish green.

St. Patrick's Day is a public holiday in Ireland and Northern Ireland. It's also widely celebrated by Irish communities around the world, especially here in Canada.

The annual St. Patrick's Day parade is the festival's largest and most popular free event, drawing people from all cultures.

The parade, in its 12th year this year, included award-winning pipe and drum bands, Celtic musicians, Scottish and Irish dancers, acrobats, stilt walkers, vintage cars, among others. It was part of a weekend-long festival that celebrates the Celtic culture.

The festival's director John Coughlan said that Irish people bring their rich culture with them wherever they settle around the world.

"No matter who you are, there's always a bit of Irish, because we had a great exodus from Ireland in the 1840s, and we took off and went everywhere and still have a little bit of exodus right now," Coughlan told Xinhua during the parade.

Natasha Dempsey, who has just come from Ireland to Vancouver to visit her family, said it's nice to see her culture celebrated by so many people in Canada.

Dempsey said the reputation of the Irish people for being kind and fun-loving is well-earned.

"Do you know, we are such a friendly nation and it's not just a cliche, but it really is. We embrace everyone and all cultures and we just like to have fun," she added. Endi