After Three-Year Hiatus, AC’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade Marches On

By: Follow South Jersey Staff

City of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr. along with members of the Atlantic City St. Patrick’s Parade Committee hold a press conference to announce the return of the parade. Photo credit: City of Atlantic City.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The Atlantic City St. Patrick’s Parade will return for the first time since 2019 on Sunday, March 12, 2023, City of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr. announced today.

The procession will kick off at 1 p.m. on the Boardwalk at St. James Place, then will march to Albany Avenue along the Boardwalk.

“The Small administration is focused on special events and supporting all cultures and traditions,” said Mayor Small in a press release from the city. “This parade has always been a favorite of the people of Atlantic City, and I’m happy to say this popular tradition is back right where it belongs, in the great City of Atlantic City, on our historic Boardwalk. When this committee reached out, expressing interest in bringing back the parade, I told them the city would give them all the tools they need. That was the first I heard about interest in a parade this year.”

“When I learned the traditional parade was in jeopardy of not happening again this year, I immediately reached out to Mayor Small to see if there was anything that could be done to avoid that,” said Sonny McCullough, member of the Atlantic City St. Patrick’s Parade Committee. “He enthusiastically said he’d work with us, so our new committee quickly formed to keep the tradition alive. This will be a day of abbreviated fun with less floats than normal, but still the same enthusiasm and spirit of the holiday.”

Interested participants and donors may email stpatricksparadeac@gmail.com. The Boardwalk vehicle application is due by March 6th. Marchers’ applications are due by March 10th. The rain date for the parade is Sunday, March 19th.

Local restaurateurs Frank and Joe Dougherty will be this year’s parade Grand Marshals.

The Atlantic City St. Patrick’s Parade was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, parade organizers did not apply with the City of Atlantic City.


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