The Shamrock Club of Wisconsin's St. Patrick's Day Parade is slated for the streets of Downtown on Saturday, March 12.

The 45th annual parade steps off at noon from Wisconsin Avenue at Old World 3rd Street and winds its way through Downtown Milwaukee.

Milwaukee's parade -- organized by The Shamrock Club of Wisconsin and the Westown Association -- is the sixth oldest in the nation and the oldest in the state.

Although the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin is celebrating its 45th anniversary of producing the parade, the event dates back to 1843. It predates the incorporation of the State of Wisconsin and the City of Milwaukee.

This year's parade will feature more than 150 units including Irish dance groups, pipe and drum corps, and local celebrities and dignitaries. For the second straight year, the Friends of St. Patrick, in partnership with the Hunger Task Force, will collect non-perishable food donations during the parade. Volunteers will walk the parade route with grocery carts collecting the donated food items.