Panti Bliss announced as Grand Marshall for London's St. Patrick's Parade

Dublin drag queen, Panti bar founder, gay rights activist and Irish pop cultural figure Panti Bliss has been announced to lead the London St. Patrick's day parade which will take place on Sunday March 17.

Speaking on the news. the drag queen said she was “equally honoured and excited to be the Grand Marshal of this year's London St Patrick's Day Parade” before adding that she was “already in training to cover the distance in high heels”.

Over 50,000 people are expected to take part in the 2024 London St Patrick's day parade, which will include Irish marching bands, dance troupes and the usual pageantry.

Organised by the London Assembly and the London Irish Centre, the parade will kick off in Piccadilly and end in Whitehall on St Patrick's Day.

While speaking about the honour the drag queen quipped (in typical Panti Bliss fashion) : "having spent some of my student summers as a freshly minted gay there, it won’t be the first time I’ve made a holy show of myself in the queer streets of London,”.

After the parade, the annual St. Patrick Festival will take place in in Trafalgar Square, where the event will start at 12am with an afternoon of family-friendly entertainment.

The programme is set to include traditional Irish music from bodhrán player, Ruairi Glasheen, as well as folk singer Laura Elizabeth Hughes and more.

The Maguire O’Shea Academy of Irish Dance have been announced for Irish dancing performances while celebrity chef Anna Haugh will put on a cookery demonstration followed by a Q&A session.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who is set to host the St. Patrick's day festivities is also looking forward to the event too.

“London’s annual St Patrick’s Day festivities are a highlight of my year,” he admitted this evening as the plans for the event were unveiled.

“It’s wonderful to join with tens of thousands of Londoners and visitors to celebrate the immense contribution the Irish have made to our great capital over many decades,” he added.

“This year is going to be particularly memorable as we welcome Panti Bliss as Grand Marshal of the St Patrick’s Day parade,” London’s Mayor added. “Celebrations like St Patrick’s Day showcase how welcoming and diverse our city is as we continue to build a better, fairer London for everyone.”

Meanwhile in Dublin, Late Late Show Presenter Patrick Kielty is set to be the Grand Marshall for the 2024 St Patrick's Day Parade which will also take place on Sunday March 17.