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The Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade will be held Sunday, March 22, 2020 and will depart the Allentown Fairgrounds, Liberty Street at 1:30 pm.
The 63rd Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade is presented by GIANT Food Stores
February 3, 2020: (Allentown, PA) The Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade Committee, Inc. announced today the schedule of events surrounding the 63rd Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade presented by Giant Food Stores. The Parade will be held March 22, 2020, departing from the Allentown Fairgrounds at 1:30 pm. The Parade events will kick off Sunday, February 16, 2020 at the annual Fundraiser event being held at Christopher’s at the Columbian Home located at 1519 Greenleaf Street, Allentown PA.
Food Drive to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley – February and March.
The Parade is hosting a food drive to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley. Presenting sponsor GIANT Food Stores has supplied brown grocery bags to be distributed door-to-door in the West End neighborhood the week before the Parade and they will also be distributed at some of the Parade sponsored events. The Food Drive kicks off at the annual Parade Fundraiser event being held Sunday, February 16, 2020 at Christopher’s at the Columbian Home. Donations will also be taken at the Coronation Celebration on Friday March 20, and the Irish Cultural Community Day being held Saturday March 21st respectively at Allentown Fairgrounds. The Parade group is asking all spectators of the parade to bring a nonperishable food item to donate.
Parade Fundraising Event – Sunday, February 16, 2020
Christopher’s at the Columbian Home will host the 18th annual fundraising event from 3 pm to 6 pm on Sunday, February 16, 2020. Doors are open to the public and tickets are $10 per person in advance and $12 at the door. Children under 12 are free. Tickets include select beers (sponsored by Banko Beverages) and soda with admission and door prizes. Tickets can be purchased at our website, www.allentownstpatricksparade.com . Music by DJ John Harvey, raffles and the purchase of shamrocks for a $1 will also be a part of the event’s activities. The 2020 King and Queen, Barri and Lisa Arnold, will be introduced and the winners of the 2020 Parade Poster Contest will be announced. All guests are asked to bring a nonperishable food item to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley. Christopher’s at the Columbian Home is located at 1519 Greenleaf Street, Allentown, PA.
Parade Pub Crawl – Saturday, March 14, 2020
The Parade Pub Crawl, celebrating 12 years in 2020, will take place on Saturday, March 14, 2020 throughout the West End of Allentown. Proceeds from the Pub Crawl benefit the Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade to pay for marching units and bands. There are eight sponsoring pubs; Jack Callaghan’s Ale House, Tavern on Liberty Street, The Roost of Allentown, Volpe’s Sports Bar, Shanty on 19th, Fairgrounds Hotel, Sleepy Cat Urban Winery, and Greg’s West End Saloon.
A donation of $15 to benefit the Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade will include a commemorative t-shirt. The pub crawl begins promptly at 5:00 pm.
City of Allentown Flag Raising – Tuesday, March 17, 2020
On Tuesday, March 17, 2020, the flag of the Republic of Ireland will be raised at City Hall Plaza, Allentown at 11:45 am
The flag raising event is to commemorate the contributions of those of Irish heritage who helped to form and grow Allentown and the greater Allentown area. A pipe salute by Mackay Pipe Band and brief remarks by John A. Chaya, Co-President of the Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade Committee, Inc. and the Honorable Raymond O’Connell, Mayor of the City of Allentown will mark the occasion. City Hall is located at 435 Hamilton Street, Allentown.
Coronation Celebration – Friday, March 20, 2020
Barri and Lisa Arnold will be crowned the 2020 King and Queen of the Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade at the Coronation Celebration to be held Friday, March 20, at the Agricultural Hall Annex at the Allentown Fairgrounds.
The Coronation Celebration begins at 7:30 with doors opening at 7:00 pm. The Coronation ceremony takes place at 8:30 pm. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door and include a copy of the 2020 St. Patrick’s Parade Program Book, complimentary beer (provided by Banko Beverage), soda, and a door prize ticket. The event is BYOB. There is no cost for anyone under 21. The Allentown Fairgrounds/Agricultural Hall Annex is located at 19th and Liberty Streets, Allentown, PA 18104. For tickets to the Coronation Celebration go to www.allentownstpatricksparade.com.
7th Annual Irish Cultural Community Day – Saturday, March 21, 2020
The 7th Annual Irish Cultural Community Day, presented by the West End Alliance, will be held Saturday, March 21, 2020 from 12 noon to 4:00 pm at the Agricultural Hall Annex at the Allentown Fairgrounds. The Community Day is presented by the Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade Committee, Inc. Irish Cultural Community Day is a family friendly & free event and features demonstration in Irish dance, hurling, Celtic games, art, bagpipe, fiddle, and ceili, and all will have children and audience participation. Featured this year will be expanded Celtic Highland Games competition for the children, featuring three events, with prizes given in multiple age categories. For more information, go to our website, www.allentownstpatricksparade.com.
St. Patrick’s Mass – March 22, 2020
A Mass to celebrate St. Patrick will be held Sunday, March 22, 2020 at 9:15 am at Immaculate Conception Church celebrated by the Most Reverend Alfred A. Schlert, Bishop of Allentown. The Mass will feature a procession led by the MacKay bagpipe band that includes former Parade Kings and Queens, and the 2020 King and Queen. Immaculate Conception Church is located at 501 Ridge Avenue, Allentown PA 18102.
West End 5K – March 22, 2020
The West End Alliance is sponsoring a 5K run on Sunday, March 22, 2020 along the Parade Route. Registration is open through March 17, 2020 or until the limit of 1,000 runners has been reached. No race-day registration will be available. There is a $31 registration fee through March 1; $36 thereafter. Commemorative glassware ($5) and technical shirts ($11.50)
will be available for purchase through March 1. Extras will be available for purchase on race day. Start time is 12:15 pm. The 5K will start and end at Muhlenberg College Memorial Hall. Prizes awarded. Registration can be made online at www.westendstpats5k.com . Proceeds from the race support neighborhood development efforts and beautification in the West End Theatre District. The race has raised more than $75,000 for the West End Alliance since 2009.
House Decorating/Porch Party Contest – March 22, 2020
The 2020 Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade Committee is once again hosting a house decorating/porch party contest to be judge by an independent person chosen by the Parade committee. Prizes, donated by the West End Pubs, will be awarded to the “best porch party” and “best decorated house” along the Parade route. The Parade route will form at the Fairgrounds track near the Liberty and 17th Streets gate ( Main Gate vicinity) The Parade will proceed West on Liberty, turn North on 19th Street, west on Tilghman to 25th Street, South on 25th Street to Liberty Street then East on Liberty Street and disband at the Fairgrounds 19th Street gate. All homes along the Parade route are encouraged to participate. Prizes will be awarded immediately upon conclusion of the Parade.
Massed Bands Exhibition – Sunday, March 22, 2020
A Massed Bands Exhibition will take place immediately before the Parade at 1:00 PM on North 19th Street between Tilghman and Liberty Streets. All pipe bands will perform in unison under the direction of Drum Major Jason Litz. After the Parade the pipe bands will proceed to a Pub Crawl Sponsoring pub to perform additional tunes.
63rd Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade – March 22, 2020
The 2020 Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade, now in its 63rd year, will start its march at 1:30 pm on Sunday, March 22, 2020. The Parade route will form at the Fairgrounds track near the Liberty and 19th Streets gate (Main Gate vicinity). The Parade will proceed West on Liberty, turn North on 19th Street, West on Tilghman Street to 25th Street, South on 25th Street to Liberty Street, then East on Liberty Street and disband at the Fairgrounds 19th Street gate. The Parade will include the 2020 King and Queen riding in a white coach drawn by a team of Belgium horses followed by Parade divisions, each led by a pipe band. For information on the 2020 Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade, email
lisawardarnold@verizon.net . For details on all Parade activities or to purchase individual event tickets go to www.allentownstpatricksparade.com. Follow us on Facebook @ Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade.
About the Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade
The first known St. Patrick’s Parade was held in Allentown in the late 1860’s. Over a century later, in 1955, what we know as the modern-day Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade was organized by business and political leaders through the St. Patrick’s Day Observance Society. The Parade ran from 12th and Hamilton Streets to the Immaculate Conception Church on Ridge Avenue. The Parade will celebrate its 63rd Anniversary on March 22, 2020, departing from the Allentown Fairgrounds at 1:30 pm, and for the fifth year the Presenting Sponsor will be GIANT Food Stores. For more information or to participate in the 2020 Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade, go to www.allentownstpatricksparade.com. Registration to participate in the 2020 Parade is open and can be done by completing the online registration form at www.allentownstpatricksparade.com through February 17, 2020. The Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade reserves the right to approve all registration submissions.
Information provided to TVL by:
Colby Q Kent
for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee
