Montreal's Canadian Idol auditions kicked off at the start of one of the most notorious party weekends in the city's packed social schedule -- St. Patrick's Day.

Forty per cent of Quebecers have at least one Irish ancestor and Montreal has hosted the longest running St. Paddy's Day parade in Canada for 182 years.

Much of the construction of the city's massive Lachine Canal was built by Irish immigrants after hundreds of thousands settled in the province between 1825 and 1847.

"The city was built by the Irish," boasted Canadian Idol host -- and Irish Montrealer -- Ben Mulroney. "St. Patrick's Day weekend here is all about pub crawls and Irish carbombs."

(His father, former prime minister Brian Mulroney, was once the parade marshal and is remembered for singing "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" -- which was actually written by an American -- at a diplomatic summit with the U.S. president at the time, Ronald Regan.)

While Ben worked to wrap up his shoot so he could celebrate a friend's birthday at a Crescent Street Irish pub, many Idol hopefuls still milled around Place Desjardins waiting for their auditions.

Many a decked-out St. Paddy's enthusiast could be seen among the crowd, including a small group originally from Shannon, a town north of Quebec City in the province's first region settled by Irish immigrants.

While Melinda Jack, 21, was more interested in preparing for her moment in the Idol audition room, her friend Kelly Hamilton, also 21, was already looking forward to the weekend's festivities.

"It's quite crazy," said Hamilton, an Irish dancer and green beer drinker. "Everyone just (goes to the parade) for a good time, and we all get along, it doesn't matter who you are."

"She takes the parade day off just so she can drink," noted Jack, gesturing to her friend. "Everyone goes out at 8 a.m."

Pincourt 17-year-old Andrea Molle described the event -- which takes up a large portion of Ste. Catherine Street for most of Saturday afternoon -- as a something of a free-for-all.

"There's usually people around the streets, and they seem to like wearing the Irish flag as a cape," she said. "All you can see are green top hats and green face paint. I'm not Irish, but I love it!"

Molle and her friends agreed that Montreal is known for good times, and said many see the event as just another excuse to celebrate.

That mindset is something long celebrated by the city's Irish community, who say the reason the Irish culture flourished here is because the French have similar tastes for dancing, music and partying.

Vanessa Palomino, an Idol contender from Brossard, said enjoying life is the Montreal way.

"Montreal's big on anything," said Palomino, adding she was looking forward to attending the parade for the first time this year. "St. Patrick's Day, Gay Pride… We have a lot of different cultures and we celebrate them all."