Last year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in Ventura brought more than 500 attendees.
The County Ventura St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place Saturday in Ventura.
The procession will start at 10 a.m. on Main Street.
Since 1984, the parade has been a spring highlight for the community. It features a wide range of events and participants, including dancers, high school bands, floats, traditional food, and more.
This year’s parade theme is “Let’s Celebrate!,” with the entrants of the parade designing or representing anything they may want to celebrate this year. There will be 62 entrants in the parade coming from all different backgrounds.
Ancient Order of Hibernians, Flags of Ireland, and the Claddagh School of Irish Dance are some of the Irish groups being represented. The stalwart Big Green Pig will also make an appearance, which has been a long standing tradition for this parade.
Other entrants are the U.S. Coast Guard, School on Wheels, and Cal State Channel Islands President Richard Yao.
The entrants will be judged by a panel of community members: James Lockwood, Dr. Richard Rush, Celina Zacaris and Clint Garman.
The parade grand marshal this year is Ventura Elks Lodge No. 1430. This organization, which is celebrating its 100-year anniversary, supports local programs for veterans and youth in Ventura. They are the lead sponsor of the event and have been since the parade’s inaugural year.
Visitors of the parade are encouraged to walk around downtown Ventura after the parade and enjoy the shops and restaurants. Additionally, the historic Museum of Ventura County, located on 100 E. Main St., will be open for free to the public until 5 p.m.
There is no public parking along the route, so park on adjacent streets and public parking lots in downtown Ventura.
Visit venturastpatricksdayparade.com for more information.
email: abahnsen@newspress.com
