2012 Atlanta Georgia St Patricks Day Parade: The Parade will be held on Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 12:00 noon. Step off begins at Peachtree and Ralph McGill, and will proceed down Peachtree toward Woodruff Park. Since the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1858, the City of Atlanta has supported the Hibernian Benevolent Society St. Patrick's Day Parade in memory of the heroic efforts of Father Thomas O’Reilly. Over the years the parade has grown. It now attracts more than 200 units and is produced by Atlanta St. Patrick’s Parade, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, which is made up of representatives of Atlanta’s wide ranging Irish community. Among the goals of the group are the education of the public about the significant contributions made by the Irish to Atlanta, the South and the United States.