Downtown Toronto was a sea of green Sunday as thousands of spectators flocked to the 26th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Donning green wigs and waving Ireland’s national flag, children and adults young and old lined the sunny streets to take in colourful floats carrying Irish dancers, celtic bands and St. Patrick himself.

The parade shut down a number of streets in the downtown core for several hours Sunday. All roads were expected to re-open to traffic after 3 p.m.

Organizers said they were expecting between 300,000 and 500,000 people to attend the parade, which began at St. George Street and Bloor Street and ended at Nathan Phillips Square.

Adding a charitable touch to this year’s festivities, organizers held a food drive along the parade route, collecting non-perishable food items from spectators.

Mayor Rob Ford said today was “a great day to be Irish,” and added the parade is a huge draw and good for the city’s tourism industry.

“It’s really touching, it makes you feel a sense of pride in the city,” Ford told CP24.

Event director Alan Louthe said it takes a full year of preparation to put together the 100-float parade.

“We’ve had sleepless nights for the last week, trying to put the final touches,” he said.

Louthe said the parade is a community-based event that has universal cultural appeal.

“We have a wide diversity of cultures creeds,” he said.

Roads were also closed this morning in other parts of the downtown core for the Achilles St. Patrick’s Day 5K run, which ended at the Steam Whistle Brewing building on Bremner Boulevard. The charity event raised money for Achilles Canada, a non-profit organization that provides aid and support for runners and athletes with disabilities.

Police ramp up RIDE checks

Police across the province are ramping up their RIDE check programs this weekend as St. Patrick’s Day festivities are expected to draw huge crowds to pubs and restaurants.

OPP urged party-goers to plan ahead and be responsible and said party hosts are also responsible to ensure departing guests do not drink and drive.

Police are being vigilant to ensure there is no repeat of last year’s riots in London, Ont. that left a neighbourhood in tatters.

London police said they will be out in force tonight to monitor for any rowdy behaviour.

Officers were called to some parties Saturday night, but no arrests were made and police say things were fairly quiet.

With files from The Canadian Press