Mystic Irish Parade Announces the Schedule of Events for the 2016 Parade Season

The Mystic Irish Parade is upon its thirteenth year, so join us on March 20th in your best green & Celtic cheer! Kicking off at 1:00 p.m., the Sunday afternoon festivities will begin at the Mystic Seaport and journey downtown until concluding at the Mystic Arts Center! The streets of downtown Mystic are soon to be abundant with over 32,000 guests from near and far in celebration of the 13th year!

In preparation of parade day and in celebration of the 2016 Mystic Irish Parade Grand Marshal, on Friday March 18th, the Harbour House- Inn at Mystic will host a tremendous happy hour from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.! With fantastic happy hour drink and appetizer specials, the community will have the opportunity to casually meet and greet Father Tom Hoar of Ender’s Island, Grand Marshal for the 2016 parade. Guests will also have the opportunity to speak with the Parade Committee Members to see how they can get involved with future events.

The next morning, on Saturday March 19th, the 2nd Annual Mystic Irish 5K will commence in downtown Mystic! In collaboration with the Town of Groton Parks & Recreation, the second annual road race will be a family fun event for all. Mystic Irish Parade Foundation committee members will be present to recognize our dignitaries and supporters for 2016.

The big event is the next day, Sunday afternoon, March 20th at 1:00 p.m., the one and only Mystic Irish Parade! The 2016 Mystic Irish Parade will be host to outstanding pipe bands, more than any other parade in the state, as well as featuring fife & drum units and high school area marching bands! With colorful floats to represent outstanding community organizations, the parade is always captivating for all!

Better yet, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers are back! The Red Hot Chilli Pipers are the most famous bagpipe band internationally, with an ensemble of pipers, guitarists, keyboards and drummers. With groundbreaking fusion of traditional Irish music and rock anthems, they are sure to make this year’s parade the best yet!

After a fantastic parade, the Mystic Irish Parade Foundation committee and supporting community will celebrate at the Awards Party & Raffle Drawing a week later, Sunday April 3rd, at 1:00 p.m. at the Harp & Hound in downtown Mystic. This grand celebration will wrap up another parade, recognize the award winning participants and send one lucky winner to Ireland!

The Mystic Irish Parade continues to grow each year and would undoubtedly not be possible without the outstanding sponsors who support this celebration each year. The major sponsors include Levine Distributing Company (Budweiser) The Day, CT Family Magazine, F&F Distributors (Guinness), and Full Power Radio (Jammin 107.7, WBMW 106.5), and Hall Communications (98.7 WNLC, 100.9 ROXY FM). Additional sponsors can be found on our website and in our parade guide distributed parade day.

This festive celebration, as well as many other annual area events, are planned and supported by the Mystic Irish Parade Foundation. The Mystic Irish Parade Foundation is 100% volunteer driven, supported by team members dedicated to promoting Irish heritage and organizing a spectacular parade for the community! The MIPF is a registered nonprofit organization and all donations are tax deductible and directly help fund local charities, as well as the annual parade. Excess funds raised are donated to local nonprofit organizations. Please mark your calendars and we look forward to seeing you at these local events! For more information please see our website www.MysticIrishParade.org or visit us on Facebook.