Your 2023 South Side Irish Parade Survival Guide

CHICAGO — The 2023 South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade steps off Sunday, March 12. This is the parade’s 45th promenade down Western Avenue. We've gathered the parade highlights, weather forecast, historical context and pretty much anything else you'll need or want to know before you head out to the parade. Follow our guide below and have a great Parade Day.

The Details

WHEN: Noon Sunday, March 12. The parade lasts approximately two hours.
WHERE: Steps off from 103rd and Western Avenue, traveling south to 115th and Western Avenue, through Chicago’s Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods.

Getting There

Driving is not recommended as parking will be limited. If you are in the area, it's best to walk. Metra’s Rock Island Line 103rd Street/Beverly Hills and 111th Street/Morgan Park stations are within walking distance of the parade route down Western Avenue. Details about train service for are available on Metra.

Street Closures

Western Avenue will be closed between 99th Street and south of 115th Street beginning as early as 9 a.m. Cross streets 103rd and 111th are also likely to be closed near Western, possibly as far west as Kedzie and as east as Longwood. Side streets near Western between 99th and 115th may also be closed as early as 9 a.m. as the crowds gather.

Parking Restrictions

Beginning at 6 a.m., there will be no street parking allowed on Western Avenue from 99th St. to 119th St. Beginning at 8 a.m., there will no street parking allowed on the east side of Artesian from 103rd to 111th. There will be no parking on Claremont west side of the street from 103rd to 107th. Expect traffic to be restricted on Western Avenue and surrounding side streets beginning at 9:00 a.m. On all east/west streets leading to Western Ave. between 103rd and 115th, expect portions of the street to be closed within 75 feet of Western Avenue or between the first alleyway and Western Avenue.

Parking restrictions are expected to be lifted by 3 p.m.

Zero-Tolerance!!!

The parade had a two-year hiatus earlier this decade after rowdy crowds and heavy drinking put a damper on the family event. When the parade returned, it was with a strict no drinking policy. Police and private security personnel will be out in full force, stopping anyone with alcohol. You will also be banned from having alcohol on the Rock Island Metra before the parade.
If you're caught with open alcohol, fines of up to $1,000 for open containers of alcohol may be imposed. Security checkpoints staffed by private security and the Chicago Police Department will be surrounding the parade route. Also, anyone who witnesses a crime or encounters drunk behavior during the parade should call 911.

Comfort Stop

Beverly Evangelical Covenant Church, 10545 S. Claremont Ave., will open starting at 11:30 until approximately one hour after the parade ends. Visitors are welcome to use the bathrooms, enjoy a free snack, or take a break from the weather. A worship service will be held at 9:30 am.

Grand Marshal

This year’s grand marshal honors the chaplains of the Chicago Police and Fire Departments.

Chicago Police Department Chaplains Ministry
Rev. Daniel Brandt, director of Chicago Police Chaplains Ministry, which provides pastoral and crisis care to the CPD community. They demonstrate officers are never alone in their jobs, despite the incredibly difficult situations they may face. Chaplains are helpful in handling officer’s mental health, providing trusted 24/7 care. Officers know they have somewhere to turn for help.

Chicago Fire Department Chaplain Ministry
Rev. William McFarlane, Chicago Fire Department Chaplain
The Chicago Fire Department Chaplain Ministry is committed to serving the needs of active and retired firefighters and their families, especially in the event of tragedy for one of the fire fighting professionals. They are available to help firefighters and their families address the pressures associated with their jobs 24/7.

Parade Honoree

Beverly Area Planning Association (BAPA) will be represented by Mary Jo Viero, executive director. BAPA is one of Chicago’s oldest grassroots community organizations and has been serving the people, businesses and organizations of Beverly/Morgan Park for 75 years.

Parade Committee Co-Chairs

Marianne Rowan Leslie, Don Larisey and Tim McSweeney

Parade Queen

Nora Doyle has participated in every South Side Irish Parade as a dancer. This year, she will be riding in the parade as the 2023 queen.

Parade History

This year's event will mark the 45th South Side Irish Parade. The parade started in 1979 when a group of neighborhood kids and their families marched around the block in little buggies and with homemade posters. Even in 2020, when the city canceled the larger event at the beginning of the pandemic, the “Wee Folks of Washtenaw and Talman,” marched down the sidewalk on the east side of Western Avenue, keeping the parade’s streak going.

Parade Highlights Sights and Sounds:

13 pipe and drum and marching bands including Environmental Encroachment, a mobile brass band, and performance art group Irish dance schools and Thorton Fractional North H.S. Band (Calumet City) been performing for nearly 100 years.

• Consulate General of Ireland Consul General Kevin Byrne
• Chicago Police Honor Guard
• Chicago Police Memorial Foundation
• Dunkin’ Cruiser free samples during parade west side 108th and Western
• NASCAR Chicago Street Car Race show cars
• Original Baby Buggy Parade Float From 1st South Side Irish Parade in 1979
• Red & white Ozinga concrete mixer truck, 4th generation family-owned business
• Windy City Ghostbusters - enthusiasts make and wear movie-accurate costumes
• Fire Museum of Chicago old fashioned Engine 10
• Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade Group
• CTA Minibus
• Floats with live Irish music
• Local parishes, Irish family floats and numerous community organizations and more.

Schedule Of Events

• 9 a.m. - Floats begin staging on Western Ave.
• 11:45 a.m. - Ribbon cutting ceremony. Chaplains of Chicago Police and Fire Department, Rev. Dan Brandt and Rev. Bill McFarlane; Mary Jo Vivero, executive director of Beverly Area Planning Association and board members; Consul General of Ireland Kevin Byrne, Vice Consul, Sarah Keating and Irish Minister of Public Works, TD Patrick O'Donovan will cut the ribbon to kick off the parade at 103rd & Western Ave
• Noon - Parade steps off at 103rd and Western Ave., marching to 115th and Western Avenue. The parade is expected to last two hours.

Parade Sponsors

The South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade is generously supported by local area businesses, including:

• County Fair Foods
• Ozinga
• Chicago Express Med Spa
• The Beverly Review
• Flood Brothers Disposal
• Home Run Inn Beverly
• Chicago City Soccer Club
• Hilton Chicago/Oak Lawn
• OSF Little Company of Mary Medical Center
• Mercedes-Benz of Orland Park
• Athletex Physical Therapy, and
• South Side Irish Imports
• Major sponsors include: Tullamore D.E.W, the official Irish Whiskey of the Parade; Lakeshore Beverage, NASCAR Chicago Street Race, Dunkin’ the official Parade Coffee, Chicago White Sox, Guinness, Bud Light, Green River Soda, Flood Brothers, Union Life Insurance Company, ComEd and Megent Financial and Local 399, Local 150, Local 11 and the Chicago Cook County North America Building Trades Union.

Parade Day Safety Reminders:

The South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee is dedicated to ensuring a safe, family-friendly celebration of Irish heritage and culture. The volunteer committee works with the City of Chicago, local community organizations, schools and neighbors to present a family-friendly annual march down Western Avenue. There will be security checkpoints surrounding the parade route staffed by private security and the Chicago Police Department. Fines for open containers of alcohol will be strictly enforced throughout the neighborhood.

Keep up with South Side Irish Parade happenings on Facebook.