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Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival returns to Uptown

CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival is returning to Uptown on Saturday for the first time since 2019.

Last year, the event was canceled because of the founder’s declining health, but a new organization is bringing back the longtime Charlotte tradition.

Rory Wall, the event’s new organizer, told Channel 9′s Anthony Kustura he formed a committee just to make sure Charlotte has a St. Patrick’s Day parade.

“[It] should be a great day to get people out on the street and enjoy the celebration of a parade, a major parade, and a fabulous festival area to kick off spring,” Wall said.

The parade will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and a record 100,000 people are projected to attend. You can expect parade floats, Irish dancers, and bands along with a day-long festival after the route. Wall said the day is all about celebrating Irish culture.

The rest of Uptown is expected to be packed with other events too, only adding to the number of visitors. In addition to the parade and festival, there’s a St. Patrick’s Day beer crawl, Hornets game, and a Charlotte FC match within blocks of one another.

Liz Martin says she’ll be avoiding the area.

“I kind of get worried about mass panic situations or your phone not working with that many people,” Martin said.

Parade organizers are expecting to pay the city at least $40,000 for dozens of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers to patrol the route and each of the entrance points. A department spokesperson told Kustura extra officers will be looking for anyone driving under the influence.

The Charlotte Area Transit System is extending its light rail service so people don’t have to get behind the wheel.

People like Chris Pavlovski, who’s visiting from out of town for the soccer match, are excited for all the buzz.

“Man it’s going to be crazy shoving that many people in this space,” he said. “It sounds like a great time to celebrate and just have some fun and really see the city come to life.”

The parade will start on North Tyron Street at Ninth Street and then head south. It will turn left on Third Street and end at College Street. Road closures will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Church and Caldwell Streets will remain open to traffic in Uptown.

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