St. Charles plans family-friendly St. Patrick’s Day Parade and celebration
The St. Charles St. Patrick’s Parade on Saturday, March 15, will feature a variety of family-friendly St. Patrick’s-themed activities for individuals to take part in around town.
The day begins at 11 a.m. with an opening ceremony on the 1st Street Plaza near Gia Mia and McNally’s Irish Pub & Kitchen. The festivities include performances from Irish Dancers and Bagpipers and a complimentary face-painting to help visitors get into the spirit of the day.
Afterward, join in a St. Patrick-themed Scavenger Hunt by finding shamrocks hidden throughout the downtown. There will be 10 shamrocks hidden within the route of the parade (Sixth Street and Fourth Avenue). Once located, the participant will need to take a photo of themselves with the shamrock, scan the QR code, and submit the photo along with the form found on www.stcalliance.org/shamrockhunt. The more shamrocks that are found, the more entries participants get. On March 18, three lucky winners will be selected to win a “Pot of Gold” valued at $400 and contacted via email. The Shamrock Hunt form will be available online starting March 15.
The St. Patrick’s Parade, which includes bagpipers and local marching bands, steps off at 2 p.m. from Sixth Street, traveling down Main Street to Fourth Avenue.
Also, check out the photo opportunities around town. On the 1st Street Plaza, individuals can stop by the “Sláinte” photo opportunity. On Riverside Avenue across from Flagship on the Fox and Pollyanna Brewing & Distilling, will be a “Leprechaun,” and a new “Lucky” photo opportunity.
Many businesses will also be hosting special sales, promotions, and events in honor of the day. To learn more about local deals taking place during the parade, visit www.stcstpatricksparade.com/salesandspecials.
“The St. Charles St. Patrick’s Parade has been a favorite community tradition for over 20 years,” said Jenna Sawicki, St. Charles Business Alliance executive director. “It’s the perfect opportunity to gather with friends and family, support our amazing businesses in town, and of course, enjoy all the Irish-festivities that the day has to offer.”
The Presenting Sponsor for the 2025 St. Charles St. Patrick’s Parade is St. Charles Closets. Additional Sponsors include McGrath Honda of St. Charles, McNally’s Heating & Cooling, Smile Haven Dental Studio, St. Charles Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, The Hairy Ant Screen Printing Embroidery & more, Solutions Networking Corporation, St. Charles Plastic Surgery, Teqworks, Theriault Booth LLC. Attorneys at Law, and M.K. Movers. The Parade Partners are The Office Dining & Spirits and Whiskey Bend.
The mission of the St. Charles Business Alliance is to drive economic growth to make the St. Charles Community a destination where people, businesses and tourism thrive. The Alliance produces Restaurant Week, St. Patrick’s Parade, Fine Art Show, STC Live!, Jazz Weekend, Scarecrow Weekend, and Holiday Homecoming. For more information about the Alliance, visit www.stcalliance.org.