Going green this weekend has nothing to do with eco-policies and everything to do with all things Irish as cities across the country celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with parades and festivals.

New York City kicks off its annual celebration on March 16 with what the city claims is the largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the world. Marchers, including firefighters, police, military groups, cultural clubs and bands, step off at 11 a.m. to follow the mile-and-a-half route along Fifth Avenue. The final group is expected to cross the finish line about 5-1/2 hours later.

The Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade kicks off at 1 p.m. heading east on West Broadway, crosses Dorchester Avenue onto East Broadway toward Pleasant Bay then loops back along East 4^th and East 5^th streets to finish at the Andrew Square “T” station.

San Francisco’s 162nd St. Patrick’s Day Parade features more than 100 floats plus Irish dancers and marching bands. The parade begins at 11:30 a.m. on March 16 at the corner of Market and Second streets and follows Market Street to the Civic Center.

Chicago literally goes green on St. Patrick’s Day, dumping 45 pounds of eco-friendly vegetable dye into the Chicago River to turn it emerald green. This year, the dyeing gets underway at 10 a.m. on March 16. The parade steps off at noon beginning on the corner of Columbus and Balboa and ending at Columbus and Monroe.

Way down yonder in New Orleans, the St. Patrick’s Day celebration is a multi-day event culminating with a parade starting on March 17. The parade begins at noon in front of Rummel High School on Severn Avenue and proceeds along Severn to Metairie Road before continuing to the parish line.