Story and Photos by Brittany Olafson

On March 17, everyone was Irish for a day.

Hundreds of people cheer to the mascot of Bob 95

The Downtown Community Partnership estimated about 20,000 people gathered in Fargo on St. Patrick’s Day to enjoy the parade and beautiful weather.

Firetrucks kick off Fargo's 2012 St. Patrick's Day parade

Broadway in Fargo was the place to be on this holiday. The street was closed off to traffic for the 5K race put on by Lake Agassiz Pacers. There were 500 participants in the race, followed by the parade at 3 p.m.

Two St. Patrick's Day fans prance around in homemade masks

Dustin Anderson, a resident of Roseau, Minn., was in town visiting friends for the weekend and watched the Broadway march.

“I’m not Irish but St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite holidays,” he said. “I don’t remember the last time it was that nice outside on the holiday, so that was pretty sweet to watch the parade.”

A young boy waves at the crowd from the inside of a Case tractor

People in all shades of green lined the streets to watch the several unique floats. The sun was high and the temperature was 77 degrees, leaving no excuse not to be outside.

Children watch in amazement from the tops of their parents' shoulders

Jeremy Olson, a 28-year-old Fargo resident, enjoyed the festivities of this Irish holiday.

“The floats were very entertaining to watch,” he said. “And I don’t care what age you are, you’re never too old for candy.”

Scrappy Doo blows bubbles and throws candy at the anxious crowd

Looking for ideas for next year’s St. Patrick’s Day? Check out this board on Pinterest!