The St. Patrick’s Day Parade will return to downtown St. Charles on Saturday

The St. Charles St. Patrick’s parade will return to downtown St. Charles on Saturday, March 9 bringing with it an array of family-friendly, St. Patty’s themed activities and entertainment for individuals and families to take part in around town.

The downtown festivities kick-off at 11 a.m. with an opening ceremony on the 1st Street Plaza featuring performances from Irish dancers, bagpipers and more entertainment presented by McNally’s Pub.

Parade attendees can also participate in the St. Patrick themed scavenger hunt, where they will search for 20 shamrocks hidden around the downtown area. Each shamrock found will grant scavengers one entry into a raffle for a chance to win pots of gold valued at $100 or $300.

Once located, scavengers should take a photo of themself with the shamrock, scan the QR code, and submit the photo to the Shamrock Hunt webpage. On March 14, three lucky winners will be selected (two winners will receive $100 pots of gold and one will receive a $300 pot of gold).

The parade will begin its procession at 2 p.m., starting at Sixth Street, traveling down Main Street (Route 64) and ending at Fourth Avenue. Among those parading will be bagpipers, local marching bands and a caravan of floats put together by local businesses and community groups.

Guests are encouraged to capture a moment at the Lucky Photo Station located on Riverside Avenue across from Pollyanna Brewing & Distilling. Photos shared on social media that have tagged @stcalliance or @travelstcharles will have a chance to be featured on the St. Charles Business Alliance’s social media.

Many local businesses will be hosting special sales and promotions. For a list of those businesses and their special promotions, visit the parade webpage.

Prior to the downtown festivities, BrewHop Fun Run will host the Shamrockin’ St. Charles 8K and 1 Mile Family Fun Walk at Pottawatomie Park at 10 a.m. A portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit St. Charles Park District Athletics. For more information or to register, visit the event website.

“The St. Charles St. Patrick’s Parade is always an exciting tradition and is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate with the community,” St. Charles Business Alliance Executive Director Jenna Sawicki said in a news release. “We hope that everyone is able to come downtown to enjoy all the family-friendly activities taking place, and I encourage everyone to support the amazing local businesses that we have in St. Charles.”

To find more information on the 2024 St. Charles St. Patrick’s Parade, visit the parade website or contact the St. Charles Business Alliance at 630-443-3967.