Philly’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade: Your Need-to-Know Guide

The 2017 St. Patrick’s Day Parade. | Photo by R. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia

Rain or shine, Philadelphia’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will commence once again this Sunday (a week ahead of the actual holiday). And with it, we’ll see road closures, parking restrictions, bus detours, and more.

In the spirit of keeping things as orderly as possible, we’ve compiled a list of parade logistics for you. Here’s what you need to know about the parade, whether or not you’re attending.

The Route and Theme

Image courtesy of The St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association

The parade is set to begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday. It will start on JFK Boulevard, between 16th and 20th streets, before proceeding east on JFK around the north side of City Hall. From there, the parade will take a left onto Market Street and continue east on Market all the way down to Front Street, where marchers will turn right to head south to Chestnut Street. The parade will end at Penn’s Landing.

The 2019 theme? “ST. PATRICK, UNITE US!”

Road Closures

All parade participants will assemble on JFK Boulevard between 16th and 20th Street beginning at 9 a.m. The parade is scheduled to end at 3 p.m.

The following road will be closed between 5:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday:

• Market Street between 6th Street and 5th Street

The following roads will be closed between 9 a.m. and approximately 3:30 p.m. on Sunday:

• JFK Boulevard between 20th Street and 15th Street
• 20th Street between Market Street and Arch Street
• 19th Street between Market Street and Arch Street
• 18th Street between Market Street and Arch Street
• 17th Street between Market Street and Arch Street
• 16th Street between Market Street and Arch Street
• 15th Street between Market Street and Arch Street

The following roads will be closed between 10 a.m. (or earlier, depending on traffic conditions) and approximately 3:30 p.m. on Sunday:

• JFK Boulevard between 15th Street and Juniper Street
• Juniper Street between JFK Boulevard and Market Street
• Market Street between Juniper Street and Front Street
• All cross streets on Market Street from 13th Street to Front Street, between Chestnut Street and Arch Street
• Front Street between Market Street and Chestnut Street

Parking Restrictions

The following roads will be “Temporary No Parking” zones between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday:

• 5th Street between Chestnut Street and Market Street
• 6th Street between Chestnut Street and Race Street
• Race Street between 5th Street and 6th Street
• Market Street from Juniper Street to Front Street
• Front Street between Market Street and Chestnut Street

The following road will be a “Temporary No Parking” zones between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday:

• 1400-2000 block of JFK Boulevard

Cars parked in these locations during these hours will be towed.

Bus Detours

SEPTA bus routes 2, 4, 5, 16, 17, 21, 23, 42, 45, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 47, 47M, 48, 57, 61, 124 and 125 will be detoured from their normal routes through the Center City and Old City areas between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday. Detours will be posted. For specific route changes, visit SEPTA’s System Status page here.

Public Safety

The following items are forbidden along the parade route at any time:

• Weapons and contraband of any kind
• Fireworks or explosives
• Illegal or illicit substances of any kind
• Alcoholic beverages (police say the Open Container Law will be strictly enforced)
• Skateboards, motorized vehicles or scooters (excluding motorized wheelchairs or similar equipment)
• Laser pointers
• Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and drones of any kind

Don’t leave your bags or other items unattended. Also, all bags are are subject to search.

Attendees will not be permitted onto Regional Rail with cups or liquids of any kind.

For tips about being prepared at special events, read the city’s Special Event Safety Guide.

Line of March

You can find a list of participants and the order in which they will march right here.

Parade Awards

You can find a list of parade award categories right here.

TV

The parade will be broadcast live on Fox 29 between noon and 3 p.m. It will also be rebroadcast at the same time on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th).

Weather

As of noon on Wednesday, forecasters say there’s an 80 percent chance of rain on Sunday. But at least the temperature could be relatively balmy: The NWS is predicting a high near 53 degrees Fahrenheit.