AP PHOTOS: Boston celebrates St. Patrick’s Day; Biden holds White House brunch with Irish leader

While some American cities celebrated St. Patrick’s Day a day early, others, including Boston, one of the country’s most Irish cities, kicked off parades and festivities on Sunday.

BOSTON — While some American cities celebrated St. Patrick’s Day a day early this weekend, Boston, one of the most Irish cities in the country, held its parades and festivities on Sunday, March 17.

Crowds of green-clad revelers lined the streets for the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which typically draws about 1 million people. It not only celebrates the city’s Irish heritage, but also Evacuation Day, which commemorates the evacuation of British troops from Boston during the Revolutionary War.

In Washington, President Joe Biden held a St. Patrick’s Day brunch for Catholic leaders in the East Room on Sunday. The room was decorated especially for the holidays with an Irish flag, shamrocks and green and gold tablecloths. Guest seating cards were written in Celtic-looking green letters.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar attended the event with his partner Matthew Barrett.

Biden, a devout Catholic who is extremely proud of his Irish heritage, said he was grateful to Varadkar for spending time with him over the holiday and thanked Catholic leaders for their humanitarian work.

“Welcome everyone to the White House on St. Patrick’s Day,” Biden told the crowd. The president also hosted a reception later Sunday.

In Boston, other St. Patrick’s Day events also took place in the city, including a memorial mass and a boxing tournament. Long-running Boston punk band Dropkick Murphys was scheduled to play the first of its back-to-back St. Patrick’s Day concerts.