This is Detroit's 54th St. Patrick's Parade! Be sure to come on down and show your Irish spirit and join in all the fun. Everyone is welcomed to march in the parade. The 2012 parade is Sunday, March 11, 2012, starting at 2:00 pm. The parade, sponsored by the United Irish Societies In 1959, the United Irish Societies, sponsored the first St. Patrick's Parade in Dearborn, MI. The Parade route follows along Michigan Avenue through the area known as Corktown. Corktown received it's name as the Irish were the largest ethnic group of newcomers to Detroit, most of them from County Cork. The Corktown neighborhood is Detroit's oldest surviving neighborhood.