Moscow Cancels St Patrick's Day Parade

Since its inception in 1992, the Moscow St. Patrick's Day parade has attracted both expats, visitors, and fun-loving Russians alike to the streets for a daytime celebration of all things Irish. This year however, the city and Irish Business Club, the parade's organizers, have decided to cancel festivities.

While the parade had already been moved from its original location on the busy Novaya Arbat highway to Bolshaya Dorogomilovskaya street, the city, now led by newly elected mayor Sergei Sobyanin, expressed their priority in minimizing traffic jams. Traffic congestion is a major issue in Moscow, as we reported in January earlier this year.