Snake Day Parade in North Kansas City

John Freeman with News Span Media here attending the annual Snake Day Parade in North Kansas City. 

Video with Be dropped later today. Stay tuned. 

What is Snake Saturday? Explaining the history of North KC’s St. Patrick’s Day parade

A float featuring a snake driving down Snake Saturday’s parade route in 2022. The celebration begins Saturday in North Kansas City.

A float featuring a snake driving down Snake Saturday’s parade route in 2022. The celebration begins Saturday in North Kansas City. Northland Festivals

The annual Snake Saturday parade in North Kansas City takes place this weekend, bringing thousands of people from around the area to Swift Street.

Since its inception, Snake Saturday has taken place the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day, rain or shine. This year, it is at 11 a.m. on March 16, the day before the Irish holiday.

1984 marked the first official Snake Saturday, and this year it celebrates its 40th anniversary, titled “Mickey Finn’s Irish Dream,” after one of the founders.

For the last 40 years, Snake Saturday has been a celebration exclusive to North Kansas City, according to parade organizer and publicist Mindy Hart. But where did it start? Here’s what we found.

Rain didn’t dampen the festivities as an oversize snake made its’ way down the street during the 2023 Brookside St. Patrick’s Day Warm-Up Parade on Saturday March 11, 2023 in Kansas City.

Rain didn’t dampen the festivities as an oversize snake made its’ way down the street during the 2023 Brookside St. Patrick’s Day Warm-Up Parade on Saturday March 11, 2023 in Kansas City. Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com

Who came up with Snake Saturday?

The first event of its kind happened in 1983, thanks to founders Finn and Bill Grigsby. Finn had done a “parade” in a Rodeway Inn parking lot as an advertising gimmick for the motel, and they had so much fun that Grigsby, the mayor of North Kansas City, suggested taking it to the streets the following year, Hart said.

But what’s with the Snake Saturday name? It honors St. Patrick, who is said in Irish folklore to have driven the snakes away from Ireland in the 5th century.

“It is in reference to one of the legends associated with St. Patrick is that he stood atop an Irish hillside and banished snakes from Ireland — prompting all serpents to slither away into the sea,” Hart said. “In fact, research suggests snakes never occupied the Emerald Isle in the first place.”

Forty years later, and the parade has raised over $1.9 million for local charities. The parade gives away over $50,000 each year to charities through the parade and the charity cook-off, where 25 charities compete to see who can cook the best steak for the $1,000 grand prize, Hart said.

All charities leave with something, she said.