Belmar St. Patrick’s Day Parade: Murphy Gives Green Light

BELMAR, NJ - Do you miss the Belmar-Lake Como St. Patrick's Day Parade during its hiatus last year? If so, Gov. Phil Murphy has some encouraging news.

With St. Patrick's Day parades set for next month across the state, Murphy sees "no reason to cancel" the events.

"We should go ahead," Murphy said at Monday's state coronavirus news briefing. "Be responsible. Be smart, particularly when you're indoors. But by definition, a parade is outside."

The parade on Sunday, March 6 will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Main Street in Lake Como through Belmar.

Amanda Cregan of Wall and Craig Coyle of Neptune will serve as the grand marshals of the 2022 parade. An investiture mass to honor the grand marshals - both known for their passion for Irish cultural heritage - will take place at 10 a.m. on March 5 at St. Rose Church (601 Seventh Avenue). A luncheon will follow at Dollan’s Shore Club (500 Route 71) in Spring Lake Heights.

Now in its 49th year, the parade is perhaps one of the largest in New Jersey, with over 200,000 spectators traveling to the event annually.

New Jersey limited outdoor gatherings to 25 people early last year, so the event was canceled. However, a parade did take place in 2020. Read more: Belmar St. Patrick's Day Parade Canceled Due To COVID-19

With gathering limits gone and key COVID-19 metrics declining since the omicron wave, organizers have every reason to be optimistic that the parade will return next month.

You can tune in to the live parade feed on March 6 here.

With reporting by Josh Bakan/Patch Staff.