San Francisco's 161st Annual St. Patrick's Day Festival "Irish San Francisco Past, Present & Future" Saturday, March 17th, 2012 Civic Center Plaza ~ San Francisco 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Parade Saturday, March 17th at 11:30 AM The addition of the Festival after the parade provides a great opportunity for attendees to learn more about Irish history and culture while having fun experiencing the event. A full day of activity is planned for the St. Patrick's Day Festival at Civic Center Plaza and on Grove Street, Polk to Larkin Street. The Festival will take place, before, during and after the Parade on Saturday. The Parade begins at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday at the corner of Second and Market, where more than 5,000 participants from all over the states, will reel about with laughter and revelry all the way to City Hall. Join us for this great San Francisco event, which is the largest St. Patrick's day event west of the Mississippi.