Belmar St. Patrick’s Day Parade is Sunday (PHOTOS)

The 43rd Belmar St. Patrick's Day Parade steps off on Main Street at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

UPDATE: The parade was a big hit. Check out the HUNDREDS of photos we've got form 2016 below:

The parade will not have to put its promise of marching "rain, snow, sleet or shine" to the test, according to meteorologist Dan Zarrow who expects typical March weather.

"It will be cloudy with some breaks of sunshine and maybe a snow shower," said Zarrow, who expects temperatures in the 40s.

The parade steps off at 12:30 p.m. with 5,500 marchers, 40 bands and about 200,000 spectators lining the route. Among those in the parade is New Jersey 101.5's Big Joe Henry, who will travel the parade route in a trolley for the 27th year.

"The festivities, togetherness, music and celebration of Irish heritage brings me back each year to the parade. It’s absolutely a great New Jersey tradition and I’m honored to be a part of it," Joe said. One of his fondest memories of the parade is when a group of women had made a sign that said “Big Joe Henry marry us!” Joe said  "I got a laugh over that one."

NJ Transit plans to run extra service on the North Jersey Coast Line with added hourly service from Long Branch to  Bay Head between 8:46 a.m. and 10:46 p.m.. Extra hourly service run  from Bay Head to Long Branch between 9:21 a.m. and 9:21 p.m.

The parade will also honor grand marshal Bobby Bryne and Deputy Grand Marshal Martha Ann McDonough Finan. Bryne and brother Jimmy entertained around the shore as The Bryne Brothers and drew crowds to Jimmy Bryne's Sea Girt Inn in the 1960s and '70s. Bobby later led cruises and tours around the United States, Europe and Canada but always enjoyed his trips to Ireland the most.

After a long career with New Jersey Bell, AT&T, Bell Atlantic and Verizon, Fian started walking on the Belmar boardwalk and was recruited to join the Belmar parade committee by its chairman, Dave Stanley after meeting on the boardwalk in 2003. Fian for years lined Batup the parade's section C.