Thousands of people lined the streets of Dublin to watch this year’s St Patrick’s Day parade in an event described by TV presenter Patrick Kielty as “the biggest party in the world”.

Visitors travelled from Bolivia, California and China to participate in the annual event in the Irish capital, with attendees packing the city centre bedecked in shamrock-shaped sunglasses, Irish jerseys and leprechaun hats.

Kielty, the grand marshal of the national parade in Dublin this year, said Ireland’s national day was important because it gave people a chance to “share in something, it brings a lot of people together”.

The holiday commemorates Ireland’s patron saint and is celebrated around the world by Irish immigrants.

The Boston St Patrick’s Day Parade in the US usually draws about a million people, clad in green along the city’s narrow streets. 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.