St. Patrick’s Day Parade Will Return

A Milwaukee tradition is set to resume on March 12. The St. Patrick’s Day parade will return for the first time since 2019.

The event, hosted by the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin and the Westown Association, was among a series of events hastily canceled just days before they were scheduled as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March 2020. With vaccination not yet widespread in March 2021 the parade was again canceled.

“We are thrilled to bring the St. Patrick’s Day Parade back to downtown’s streets and celebrate our city’s rich Irish heritage,” said Mike Boyle, Shamrock Club parade director, in a statement. “After a few years away, we are planning a very special event and know families will be delighted to see the return of one of Milwaukee’s favorite traditions.”

The Dancing Grannies are scheduled to perform in the parade. The group of dancing seniors lost four members to the Waukesha parade tragedy in November.

The St. Patrick’s Day parade has been sponsored by the Shamrock Club since 1967, but traces its roots back to 1843. It is billed as the sixth-oldest in the country.

“The parade is Milwaukee’s largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration that attracts thousands of visitors to the Westown neighborhood, driving traffic to the many local businesses that were heavily impacted by the pandemic,” said Stacie Callies, Westown Association executive director. “Our shops, bars and restaurants depend on important community events like the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and look forward to seeing parade-goers support our businesses.”

The 1.25-mile parade will follow the same route, although a street renaming will require updating any literature. It begins at N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. (formerly Old World Third St.)and W. Wisconsin Ave. before meandering northeast to N. Water St. and E. Highland Ave.

The parade begins at noon and is free to attend.

Honorees at the parade are to include Irishman of the Year Pete Fleming and Irish Rose Maureen McGarry Konkol. Former alderman Robert Donovan, a staple of the parade for years and now a candidate for mayor, and his wife Kathy Donovan will serve as parade marshalls. All four were originally scheduled to be honored in 2020.

2019 Photos