The 8th Annual St. Augustine St. Patrick’s Day Parade is a celebration of the Emerald Isle’s most revered saint. Northeast Florida’s ONLY St. Patrick’s Day Parade will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 10 at Francis Field in downtown St. Augustine.
The parade travels down Orange Street to Avenida Menendez (the bayfront), then to Cathedral Place, next on Cordova Street, then back to Orange Street. Spectators are encouraged to arrive early to claim a spot along the parade route, then follow the parade to the St. Augustine Celtic Music & Heritage Festival, which opens immediately after the parade at Francis Field.
GRAND MARSHAL
City of St. Augustine Archaeologist Carl Halbirt is the 2018 Grand Marshal. “Over the past 27 years I’ve had the opportunity to explore in depth St. Augustine’s archaeological heritage,” he said.
He’s been involved in 800 projects, with 150 of them involving excavation (digging in test pits) all over the city. He’s uncovered church cemeteries, skeletal remains of early St. Augustine colonists, animals, alligator eggs, and artifacts of all kinds.”I was shocked when I was asked to be the Grand Marshal, but then felt it was such an honor,” Halbirt said, admitting that the last parade he participated in was in his high school’s marching band in the 1960s. “St. Augustine is such a diverse community, and the Irish are part of our history. We have certainly found archaeological remains of the Irish,” he explained.
The are nearly 50 units in the parade this year. The Clans and athletes from the Highland Games, who are part of the festival, also will be marching and carrying their flags and banners – with the music, colors, language, and stories of their ancestors.
Local officials also will be part of the parade including Mayor Nancy Shaver and City of St. Augustine Commissioners. Other units include the 501st Legion (Stormtroopers in kilts!), Ghostbusters, pirates and clowns, four pipe and drum corps, two schools of Irish dance, two horse units, and two honor guards.
Parade organizers Matthew and Chris Fulmer have been involved in the parade since its second year and took over as organizers in 2016.
“We want to make this a community event that everyone can enjoy, and we have a really dedicated team working with us to make everything run smoothly,” Chris said.
Entrants will be judged in one of three categories: Band, marching unit or float. Prizes will be given for the best in each category. The reviewing stand is on the balcony of Ann O’Malley’s Irish Pub on Orange Street.
The St. Augustine St. Patrick’s Day Parade is produced by Romanza – St. Augustine and is funded in part by St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, and by the State of Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Council on Arts and Culture.
To find more events in St. Augustine, visit our online calendar of events!
