NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- The 35th Annual North Myrtle Beach St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival will be held on Saturday, March 15 on Main Street. The parade begins at 9 AM and the festival will be held from 11 AM to 4 PM.
This one-day rain or shine event attracts more than 30,000 people annually.
Parade beings at 9 AM and for those that are unable to make it in person, view it LIVE on CW21 hosted by WPDE personalities.
Parade Route
Begins 2nd Avenue North and Ocean Boulevard, turn right onto 1st Avenue South, right on Hillside Drive, left on Main Street, parade ends at Ye Old Kings Hwy.
An emcee announcing parade participants will be stationed at the entrance of the Horseshoe. Judges will also be stationed at the Horseshoe to vote for their “best” parade entries.
WPDE personalities, Ed Piotrowski, Conor Ingalls and Jennifer Abney, will be announcing the parade at the Community Stage located at Main Street and North Oak Drive.
The festival offers 130 food, arts and crafts, nonprofit, and other vendors. There will be a Kids Area with games and rides for all ages. Several food areas will have delicious Irish treats, as well as festival favorites.
Sponsors of this year’s parade and festival are North Strand Optimist Club, the City of North Myrtle Beach, WPDE, Easy Radio, Flynn’s Irish Tavern, HTC, and Chick-Fil-A NMB.
The St. Patrick’s Day Festival offers three entertainment stages. The current entertainment lineup is as follows:
Irish Stage sponsored by Flynn’s Irish Tavern
11 AM: Brendan O’Connor
12 PM: Coastal Carolina Shields Pipes & Drums
12:30 PM: Brendan O’Connor
1:30 PM: Leprechaun Contest / Sheperd’s Pie Eating Contest
2 PM: Paulie O’ Grimshaw Band
Community Stage sponsored by HTC
11 AM: Triple Toe Cloggers
11:30 AM: Parade Awards
12 PM: King Tide
1:30 PM: Coastal Carolina Shields Pipe & Drums
2 PM: City Lights
Ocean Stage sponsored by Chick-Fil-A NMB
11 AM: Wake Up Call
1 PM: Conway Celtic Pipers
2 PM: Tru Sol
Two Contests
Leprechaun Contest / Jr. Leprechaun Contest
Show off your love of all things Irish by competing in the Leprechaun Contests. Entries will be judged on originality, creativity, appearance, enthusiasm, and energy. Register at the Irish stage before 1 PM.
Shepherd's Pie Eating Contest
First to clear their plate wins! Register at the Irish stage before 1 PM.
Traffic Info
The parade staging and line up will occur at 7 AM on Ocean Boulevard from 2nd Avenue North to 11th Avenue North. Southbound lanes on Ocean Boulevard from 11th Avenue North to 1st Avenue South will be closed to traffic from 7 AM to 11 AM. From 8:30 AM to 11 AM, the closure will include both southbound and northbound lanes from 2nd Avenue North to 1st Avenue South.
Main Street from Ash Street to Ocean Boulevard will be closed from 5 AM to 6 PM. Main Street will be closed from 8:30 AM to 11 AM for the parade. Main Street becomes the festival area from Ash Street to Ocean Boulevard after the parade until 6 PM.
The parade will begin at 9 AM. Ocean Boulevard will be open to vehicular traffic until 8:30 AM and is expected to reopen around 11:30 AM, immediately following the parade.
FREE Event Parking
For more information on the Parade & Festival, visit our website.