WASHINGTON — Beneath bright, sunny skies and the temperature near freezing, the 46th annual Washington D.C. St. Patrick’s Day Parade stepped off on schedule at noon Sunday.

Crowds were sparse on the sidewalks of Constitution Avenue Northwest at Seventh Street Northwest, in front of the National Archives. The parade began there and proceeded up the avenue past the museums, the Washington Monument and the White House.

Families came bundled up against the unseasonable chill to watch military units, bands and floats. The music of bagpipes, fifes and drums filled the air and brightly dressed dancers stepped gracefully to Irish folk music.

Cody Keenan, a former White House speechwriter for former President Barack Obama, served as the parade’s grand marshal. He rode in a horse-drawn carriage with his wife Kristin Bartoloni, was also a member of the Obama administration.

Michael Lonergan, deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Ireland, rode in the parade in a vintage Ford Thunderbird convertible with the top down.