Preparations are now underway ahead of the Belmar Lake Como St. Patrick’s Day parade this Sunday.

The parade, which was first held in the mid-70s, has turned into the largest parade in New Jersey. This year’s edition will feature 6,700 marchers, 17 pipe bands, 12 marching bands and close to 100,000 spectators.

“The parade started in 1973, but this place has been nicknamed the Irish Riviera for a long time and there’s a lot of Irish roots down here,” says parade chairman Chip Cavanaugh.

The parade steps off at 12:30 in Lake Como and usually lasts between three and four hours. It marches up Main Street through the Irish Riviera.

Organizers say the best way to get there is to use NJ Transit, which stops just a half block from the parade route in Belmar.