GREEN is the theme but the days of the drab St Patrick's Day parade are gone. Design gurus and artistic experts have been called in to create a feast for the senses, the organisers say.
"The Irish St Patrick's Day parade as you have come to know, love, hate or even ignore it is a thing of the past," according to the Minister for Tourism, Mr Kenny.
The soccer hero, Paul McGrath, will lead this year's parade on a new route past some of the architectural gems of Dublin. The route, which largely avoids the northside, will be festooned in green. Buildings, statues and trees will be thus decorated.
Macnas will follow the grand marshal with over 70 performers putting their own spin on the banishment of snakes from Ireland.
The traditional floats carrying giant vacuum cleaners and dishwashers, security alarms and washing appliances are also being banished. This year companies are being told to think in terms of company image rather than product.
Dublin's Theatre of Fire and the heritage group An Dal Cuinn will also take part. An Irish/Caribbean celebration, with steel bands and bodhrans, will be performed by 150 children from the inner city. Barcelona's Comediants will add to the carnival.
Some £500,000, 10 times more than last year, is to be spent on the festivities. "This year's St Patrick's Day Festival is set to become a showcase for excellence in Irish sports, cultural and commercial fields, with the parade itself becoming the centrepiece in a series of fun and entertaining things to see and do on the day," the festival director, Mr Rupert Murray, said.
He added: "The most important element is the audience. We want everyone coming to the festival to dress up in green and actually become part of the event."
The parade assembles at St Stephen's Green at 10 a.m., and starts from St Patrick's Cathedral at 11.15 a.m. On the way to O'Connell Street, it will pass Christ Church Cathedral and the City Hall.
Earlybirds are promised a feast of entertainment from performers lined up to amuse the crowd.
There will be a fleadh in Temple Bar. A children's fair is being held in Henry Street, while adult amusements are promised at Burgh Quay.