(istockphoto)

Time to get your best green sweater or shamrock pin ready: The D.C. St. Patrick’s Day parade is around the corner!

First, if you need a warmup, the Gaithersburg, MD St. Patrick’s Day Parade is at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 12, at the Rio Washingtonian Center (parade starts at Rio Boulevard and Grand Corner).

Then, after you spring forward, the 45th Annual St. Patrick’s Parade of Washington, D.C. will take place at noon. Over 100 marching bands, military units, dance troupes, floats and more fill the route with Irish cheer.

The parade starts at Constitution Avenue and 7th Street NW and travels along Constitution to 17th Street NW. The grandstands are between 15th and 16th streets, and organizers call them “a great way to watch the parade – each group is introduced as they approach and you get to see them at their best, performing for the judges.”

If you want to get the most mileage of your St. Patrick’s attire, Baltimore’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade starts at 2 p.m. The route starts at the Washington Monument, proceeds down Charles Street and continues to Pratt Street and Market Place.

Finally, if you’re still curious about Ireland’s fight for nationalism, Catholic University has an exhibit, “Sworn to Be Free: Irish Nationalism, 1860-1921”, opening Thursday, March 10 and running through May 27, at the Mullen Library.