In Honor of St. Patrick,
Colin P. Bradley
Parade Director
Philadelphia
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
info@phillyparade.com www.phillyparade.com
PO BOX 323 Media, PA 19063
2025
Rules, Regulations & Useful Information to make the parade
efficient and enjoyable.
IT IS NOT DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME SUNDAY MARCH 16TH !
Enclosed please find the Line of March for the Philadelphia St.
Patrick's Day Parade. Please
read the rules and regulations and advise those in your groups. One person from each group must check in with
one of the Marshals in your Division upon arrival, or you will not be announced
at the reviewing stand or on TV.
VOTE FOR "XYZ" signs are NOT permitted. There are NO political or Country's cause's signs allowed, no matter who the organization or groups are.
DO NOT SCHEDULE ANY POST PARADE CELEBRATIONS BEFORE 3:30 PM OR YOU MAY BE PAYING FOR TIME YOU WILL NOT BE USING!
Homeland Security has requested ALL VEHICLES IN PARADE MUST ENTER AT SCHUYKILL AVE ( 30TH St. TRAIN STATION) & JFK BLVD) FOR SECURITY SWEEP AT 20TH AND JFK. All driver and vehicle information must be updated on your website application by Noon March 1. Quite simple, if they do not have the information they require, the vehicle will not be in the parade. Take a piece of paper and write your group number on it as large as you can, so the police and marshals can see you group number and move you along quickly.
Please copy the staging and bus pick up maps for the members of your groups and drivers. In the event of inclement weather, or an act of God, please listen to KYW-1060 AM Radio for information. We will also post on the website, but we are at the Reviewing Area at 5:00 AM so we will do our best. There is NO rain date scheduled, so unless it is a blizzard, we go. In honoring Saint Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland, we ask for your patience and understanding. Please say a prayer for safety of all attending, good weather, and a successful entertaining parade.
The Philadelphia St. Patrick's Day Parade will be starting at 11:10 AM at 16th & JFK. There will be an air horn with 5 short blasts to signal 5 minutes to the start, and 1 long blast to signal the start of the Parade. The first 4 divisions please have your group ready to march at 11:00 AM. This letter offers final suggestions to make this parade successful.
CBS Philadelphia has assembled the winning team of Broadcasters led by Jim
Donovan, Janelle Burrell, Kate Bilo & Chandler Lutz that is such an asset to the Irish Community. Check their
website the day after the parade for Award Winners, information, and photos at CBS Philadelphia on the St Patrick’s Day Parade link. Please tell them what a great job they do covering the parade!
Our partnership with CBS Philadelphia has developed other improvements that you will
further promote the parade.
Parade TV Coverage:
The deadline for the TV and parade announcer bios to be
updated is Noon, February 28. They
need to be printed up and sent to TV producers so please update it this
week. We seem to have a lot of people this year who ignore these emails
and assume another person is updating it. Please take a look at your
application and update it now, because if it has last year’s info on it, they
will not say anything about your group.
TV
Coverage change for 2025:
CBS Philadelphia has national TV contract with College Basketball Playoffs so Parade TV
coverage will be:
LIVE Sunday 3/16/25 - Noon to 3:00 PM on Philly 57.
* Encore Monday 3/17/25 – 9:00 AM
to Noon on
In the days leading up to the parade, CBS Philadelphia will air stories about various parade groups on their Morning News and evening news. Please notify your groups and friends to watch CBS3 for these parade segments.
We have about 200 Groups. If we are going to have all groups finished by 3:00 PM, we need your help. The only groups permitted to stop and perform are the Irish dance groups and marching bands, which get 1 & ½ minutes to perform. All other groups are to continue moving past the reviewing stand. If your group stops at the stand, without clearing it with the parade committee, then you will be negatively affecting the groups at the rear of the parade. Rest assured that next year you will find your group at the end of the parade, if you are lucky enough to be invited back, so don’t put your group in that position. Please be courteous to all the groups and march right by the stand.
We have posted our Judging Criteria on the website. The
reviewing stand is on the left, so your floats and units should all be prepared
to face left (Driver’s side of Vehicles) going by the reviewing stand.
The maximum height for floats to drive on city streets is 13’6” same as PENNDOT. You may build a float higher, but it
will have to be built on site and disassembled on site as well. It
is YOUR responsibility to see if it
fits on parade route, not ours!
In the event of inclement weather,
or an act of God, please listen to KYW-1060 AM Radio for
information. There is no rain date scheduled or necessary,
the Luck of The Irish has promised us good weather, and no traffic! We will not refer to it as “cold” Sunday; we will stay positive and call
it “Refreshing”! If we happen by chance to have precipitation,
call it LIQUID SUNSHINE!
Please do not call us the morning of the
parade; we are at the reviewing area at 5:00 AM!
In honoring Saint Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland, we ask for your patience and understanding, and please say a prayer for good weather, safety of all those attending, and a successful parade. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@philadelphiastpatsparade.com. The award winners will be posted on Monday morning at our Website www.phillyparade.com. Thank you for your cooperation. Parades are not successful without dedicated people, and you are the reason why this parade is the best! If you have any questions, please contact us at: info@phillyparade.com Thank you for your cooperation!
PARADE
PARTICIPATION RULES, & REGULATIONS
please pay attention to the following
rules; they are for everyone’s benefit and safety.
COMMON SENSE RULES
DRINKING OR SMOKING IS NOT PERMITTED IN PARADE! Real guns, toy guns, or weapons are NOT PERMITTED except as part of
Military or Police unit.
ANIMALS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN PARADE EXCEPT LEGAL GUIDE ANIMALS!
Throwing of any items is NOT PERMITTED in parade! Candy or Giveaway Items: Throwing any items from walking, vehicles or floats along the parade route is prohibited. This creates a very dangerous situation for youngsters running into the middle of parade vehicles, or reaching their hand out under wheels. Walkers must hand deliver candy or approved novelty items curbside, in a safe manner, no throwing allowed! Your participation in the parade will be terminated if your group violates this rule, and you will be held liable for any accidents, since every group signed a waiver absolving organizers of any liability to enter the parade, this liability will be on the group organizers.
CONTACTING CBS OR THEIR ANCHORS IS NOT PERMITTED. IF INFO IS NOT ON YOUR APPLICATION BY THE DESIGNATED DEADLINES, IT WILL BE IGNORED AND MAY RESULT IN TERMINATION, AND NO ONE WANTS THAT TO HAPPEN.
Do us a BIG
favor. USE COMMON SENSE !
When you are waiting at the reviewing stand and the group in front of
you is performing, please stop your music so you do not drown out the group in
front of you! You cannot believe how
many times we have to run up to a car or a band to tell them to stop the
music. Have a little empathy for the
group in front of you, and the group behind you will do the same.
No Backpacks, per Homeland Security and our Insurance Requirements.
Noise: No blowing of horns or sirens
that drown out music played by bands and dance groups. When you are waiting at the reviewing stand
and the group in front of you is performing, please stop your music so you
don’t drown out the group in front of you!
Drinking
& Barbecuing: No alcoholic beverages or barbecuing of any type are
permitted in vehicles in the parade, in the staging area or in the line of
March. This rule will be strictly enforced
by the Philadelphia Police Department.
Badges: All participants in the parade should buy and wear the official
Parade Badge.
Buses:
All buses should arrive at designated times and unload at assigned area. The
Philadelphia Police and Parade Marshals will direct bus drivers to assigned
parking areas.
Costumes:
Costumes that enhance the spirit of the parade are encouraged. Please dress
warmly, but make sure to present yourself so others will see you favorably on
television. Jeans are discouraged!
Dancers
& Band Performances at the
Reviewing Stand. ALL PREAPPROVED Band and dance units will be
limited to a 1 minute and 30 second performance. All music on CD or MP3’s
must be received by the Dancers Music Contact by Feb 28th Mike Callahan (215-983-7224)
mcalla2615@gmail.com.
Music: Irish music may be played
along the parade route, if dancers are getting drowned out by noise behind you,
please tell a marshal and we will install a spacer group.
Signs on Cars: No signs approved on cars unless identifying person
in the car. NO other signs or placards on cars
advertising businesses please. Vehicles with car dealership or automakers signs or stickers are NOT permitted except for the Parade Vehicle’s Sponsor “DAVID AUTO GROUP”. If you are not sure about Signs, contact the Parade Director ONLY. NO one else has the authority to tell you about signs.
Signs: Signs with the name of your
organizations or individual, or referring to the theme are permitted. Other signs or placards must be previously
approved by the Parade Committee 30 days
prior to the parade.
VOTE
FOR "XYZ" signs are NOT permitted. There are NO political or Country's cause's signs allowed, no matter who the organization or groups are.
Vehicles: All vehicles in the line of
March must be noted on your application and approved by the Parade Committee 30
days in advance of the parade. Float or Trailer Height is the same as the
PA Dept. of Transportation, 13 feet 6 inches. Insurance certificates or cards must be
placed on the dashboard so Parade Marshals can see them clearly.
ALL
VEHICLES MUST BE REGISTERED PER HOMELAND SECURITY. WE NEED VEHICLE TYPE, LICENSE AND STATE AND
DRIVER’S NAME LICENSE NUMBER AND STATE ON YOUR PARADE APPLICATION OR YOUR
VEHICLE WILL NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE PARADE.
GROUPS WHO TRAVEL IN BUSES, VANS OR LARGE VEHICLES: THE BUSES WILL WAIT ON COLUMBUS BLVD. NEAR PENN’S LANDING, AND YOU WILL WALK STRAIGHT DOWN MARKET STREET RIGHT ON FRONT, AND LEFT ON DOCK ST TO THE BUSSES. NO TRAFFIC WILL BE ALLOWED TO CUT THROUGH MARKET STREET.
Late Arrival: All groups arriving
late will be placed at the end of the Parade.
PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL AND NICE DRY WEATHER!
