Armagh's St Patrick's Day extravaganza has been cancelled due to lack of support.
The organising committee blamed "insufficient voluntary help" as the reason for scrapping the celebration.
Over the years, the cavalcade with its VIPs, bands, floats, youth organisations, sports clubs and novelty acts had attracted tens of thousands of spectators on to the city's streets.
It had been the organisers' proud boast that the spectacle was the largest outside Dublin.
Announcing the cancellation, the committee said that parades held in recent years had relied heavily on the commitment of volunteers to organise the event and assist with fund-raising.
Its statement added: "The level of voluntary help available this year is insufficient to stage the parade."
The parade was called off in 1997 due to a row between the organisers and the Armagh Peace and Reconciliation Group about funding criteria.
Since then the event had gone ahead.
Cllr Pat Brannigan, chairman of the city's Partnership Board, which manages the peace programme's purse strings, confirmed yesterday that no application for funding had been lodged this year.
The former mayor described the cancellation as "disappointing".
He expressed the hope that Armagh would in future years host a cross-community festival of St Patrick, which would last for five days.