Local

2024 Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day Parade: What to know about street closures, parking

St. Ann Catholic School float featuring St. Patrick during Saturday’s 22nd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Charlotte Goes Green Festival. The parade, which is produced by the nonprofit Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day parade Foundation and drew large crowds, started at 11 am at N Tryon St. and 9th Street in uptown Charlotte, marched south to 3rd Street, took a left and went down 3rd to Caldwell. Jon Hannan was the grand marshal. He is the former fire chief and Homeland Security Director for the city of Charlotte The free festival is on S Tryon St. between 3rd Street and Stonewall, and runs from 10 am - 6 pm. It features Irish music, dancers, bagpipers, food and children’s amusements.
St. Ann Catholic School float featuring St. Patrick during Saturday’s 22nd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Charlotte Goes Green Festival. Diedra Laird dlaird@charlotteobserver.com

Get your green and get ready to party. The Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival is returning to uptown.

All weekend long, the city will be a sea of green with several events, parties and bar crawls ahead of the holiday, including the annual parade that’s expected to bring out thousands of people.

St. Patrick’s-themed floats pass by the crowds on 3rd St. during Saturday’s 21st annual Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day Parade in uptown Charlotte. The popular parade featured flags, floats, bands, pipe band music, in a sea of green. Produced by the Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day Parade Foundation, Inc., the parade is open to pipe & drum bands, musical groups, neighborhood associations, schools, alumni groups, cheerleading and drill teams, international organizations, police, fire, elected officials, commercial businesses, and anyone else who wants to be Irish for a day. It started at N. Tryon St. and 9th Street in uptown Charlotte, marched south to 3rd Street, then made a left down 3rd St. to Caldwell.
St. Patrick’s-themed floats pass by the crowds on 3rd St. during Saturday’s 21st annual Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day Parade in uptown Charlotte. Diedra Laird dlaird@charlotteobserver.com

The free family-friendly event, featuring food and drinks, craft vendors, Irish dancers, marching bands and more, will be held Saturday, March 16th, 2024. The festival will be open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and the parade will kick off at 11 a.m.

Here’s a look at the parade route and what roads will be closed off for the event, held on North Tryon Street, along with a festival map of which vendors will be at the event:

St. Patrick’s Day parade route

The route for the 2024 Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day parade in uptown.
The route for the 2024 Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day parade in uptown. Courtesy of Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day Parade organizers

During the parade, which will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., North Tryon Street will be closed from East 9th Street to West 3rd Street.

St. Patrick’s Day festival map

The festival map for the 2024 Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day festival in uptown.
The festival map for the 2024 Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day festival in uptown. Courtesy of Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day Parade organizers

The festival, which will last from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., will be held on North Tryon Street from West 3rd Street to West 1st Street.

Read Next

Parking and public transportation

With the event being in the heart of uptown Charlotte, organizers are encouraging those planning to attend to take advantage of the light rail. Tickets can be purchased at a ticket vending machine at each station platform or online through the CATS-Pass mobile app.

If you plan on driving to the parade, there are multiple parking options in and around uptown Charlotte. You can find a list of parking garages and parking lots within the area online at parkme.com.

You can find more information about this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival online at charlottestpats.com.

This story was originally published March 15, 2024 at 7:30 AM.

Related Stories from Charlotte Observer
Profile Image of Chyna Blackmon
Chyna Blackmon
The Charlotte Observer
Chyna Blackmon was a service journalism reporter for The Charlotte Observer. A native of the Carolinas, she grew up in Columbia, SC, and graduated from Queens University of Charlotte. She’s also worked in local television news in Charlotte, NC, and Richmond, VA. Support my work with a digital subscription
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER