Grab yourself a pint of Guinness and gather some shamrocks St Patrick's Day is on the way!

Celebrated by people of Irish descent all over the world, St Patrick's Day is traditionally spent with a feast and a national holiday in Ireland to celebrate the patron Saint of the country, Saint Patrick.

The annual event is full of green clothing, food, drink and fun. St Patrick's Day this year falls on Thursday March 17.

Every year there is a special St Paddy's Day parade in central London, which is arranged on the Sunday closest to the official day; this year is the 15th annual event, which 150,000 people are estimated to attend on the streets.

Here's everything you need to know about the event!

When is it?

This year the central London St Patrick's Day Parade takes place on Sunday March 13 , starting at 12pm at Piccadilly Circus and finishing at 6pm.

What to expect

From Piccadilly, the parade will travel on a 1.5 mile route, passing by The Ritz, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and onto Whitehall.

The parade will feature pageantry, community organisations, floats, marching bands, London Irish sports clubs and Irish dancing schools.

The event is free to take part in, and green clothing is welcomed!

Trafalgar Square, Westminster, London, WC2N 5DN

Road closures

In central London there will be road closures over the day (Sunday March 13). TfL's advice is to avoid driving in the affected areas, using public transport, walking or cycling instead.

Roads will close from 6am on Pall Mall East, from 9.30am on Piccadilly Eastbound, and roads on the parade route will fully close from 11.30am.

Road closures (11.30am to 4pm)

  • Piccadilly
  • Piccadilly Circus
  • Regent Street St James'
  • Waterloo Place
  • Pall Mall
  • Cockspur Street
  • Trafalgar Square
  • Charing Cross
  • Whitehall
  • Whitehall Place

Additionally

  • Parking will be suspended along the route.
  • 6am to 10pm - Pall Mall East and west side of Trafalgar Square will close; lanes will be reduced on the east side of Trafalgar Aquare (Morley's Hill)
  • 9.30am to 2.30pm - Piccadilly (Eastbound) will close between Hyde Park Corner and Half Moon Street. Piccadilly will still be open Westbound.

Public transport

Bus: To facilitate the St Patrick's Day celebrations, some bus routes will be diverted or terminate early from 6am to 3pm on Sunday March 13. The following routes will be affected: 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 22, 23, 24, 29, 38, 87, 88, 91, 94, 139, 159, 176, 453 and C2.

Tube: Tube and rail will be the best way to get around central London on the day although stations around the event area may be busier than usual. Affected stations include: Green Park, Leicester Square, Charing Cross, Piccadilly Circus, and Embankment. There will be no Tube engineering works taking place over the weekend.

Bike: Busy roads may make it difficult to redistribute or replace Santander cycles at docking stations near the event route - you can check availability using the online docking station map , or visit the cycling section of TfL for full information.

For up-to-date information on how transport services are operating, see TfL's status updates page or follow @TfLTravelAlerts on Twitter .

Why not visit one of these great Irish pubs in west London this St Patrick's Day?