Baltimore St. Patrick's Day Parade Draws Crowds Downtown

BALTIMORE, MD --

The St. Patrick's Day Parade will course through downtown Baltimore City on Sunday afternoon. The 1.5-mile route starts at the Washington Monument and ends near Market Place, by Port Discovery.

Drivers and pedestrians are advised to expect road closures in the area until 5 p.m., as thousands march in celebration of Irish culture.

The St. Patrick's Day Parade began at 2 p.m. from the intersection of North Charles Street and Centre Street. Lineup was at 11:30 a.m. around the Washington Monument.

From the Washington Monument, the route traveled south on North Charles Street, east on Pratt Street and north on Market Place.

The parade was expected to last about three hours, including periodic breaks in the procession to allow traffic and pedestrians to cross the route. It ended around 4 p.m., so it was approximately two hours.

Before the parade, the day began at the Baltimore Basilica at 10:45 a.m., where Archbishop William Lori was presiding over the seventh annual parade day mass.

A Shamrock 5K kicked off at the intersection of Charles and Mulberry Streets at 1:15 p.m.

The race route went south on Charles, left on Conway, right on Light Street and left on Key Highway to the turnaround point at Jackson Street. Runners continued west on Key Highway, right on Light Street, right on Pratt Street, then left on Market Place to finish. During the race, two right lanes were closed on East Lombard Street from President Street to Market Place, and Key Highway was closed to through traffic at Lawrence Street.

To help people find parking downtown, organizers partnered with Spot Hero to help drivers find available locations.

St. Patrick's Day Parade Road Closures

• 11 a.m. – Market Place from Pratt to Water Streets
• 11 a.m. – N. Charles Street from Centre to Madison Streets
• 11 a.m. – Mt. Vernon Place from Cathedral to St. Paul Streets
• 11 a.m. – Centre Street from Cathedral to St. Paul Streets
• Noon – N. Charles Street from Fayette to Centre Streets
• 1 p.m. – Charles Street from Conway Street to Fayette Streets
• 1:45 p.m. – Pratt Street from Howard Street to President Streets

The following parking restrictions will be in effect along the parade and race routes until 5 p.m.:

• Mt. Vernon Place – Cathedral to St. Paul Streets
• Centre Street – Cathedral to St. Paul Streets
• Charles Street – Conway to Read Streets
• North side of Pratt Street – Gay to President Streets
• Market Place – Pratt to Water Streets
• South side of Key Highway – Battery Avenue to Covington Street

Photo by Elizabeth Janney. Police photos courtesy of Baltimore Police.