On Saturday, March 22, downtown Jackson will again be at the end of the rainbow for the 42nd annual Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade & Festival.
An estimated 70,000 people will gather in the capital city for a day full of Irish-flavored celebration. The festivities are highlighted by the “green Mardi Gras” procession, themed “Hey, Hey, the Blues is All Green!” this year, along with two other parades for kids and pets, and a blowout afterparty that will keep the shamrock shindig going into the night.
The string of events, which support Children’s of Mississippi and other nonprofits, begins Saturday, March 15, with Hal’s St. Paddy’s “Run the Rainbow” race. The downtown dash includes 5K, 10K, half and full marathon routes. Learn more about registration here.
Parade weekend will begin Friday, March 21, with “The Stomp,” a New Orleans-style second line march from Cathead Distillery to Hal & Mal’s. Food, drinks, and music will flow at both locations and the march in between to initiate the festive weekend. Participation is free and a (green) costume is highly encouraged.
The big day is Saturday, with the Family Festival kicking things off at 9 a.m. Rides, games, entertainment, food and drink, and other activities for the whole family start the day on West Street.
The MARL Pet Parade, featuring the finest dressed furry friends in town, is the first parade of the day beginning at 10 a.m. Hal’s St. Paddy’s Children’s Parade follows at 11 a.m., offering a chance for the little ones to command the emerald spotlight and to compete for awards.
Then, it’s time for the big “shebang.”
Legendary bluesman and Mississippi native Jesse Robinson is this year’s Grand Marshal. The former frontman for B.B. King’s Blues Band will signal the start to the blues-themed procession at 1 p.m.
The parade will start on the corner of State Street and Court Street, with hundreds of revelers, floats, street dancers, and leprechaun-impersonators making up the eclectic and colorful march.
And don’t forget about the world-renowned Sweet Potato Queens making their annual appearance, led by “Boss Queen” Jill Conner Browne. An array of local marching bands will also play their way through the route as tunes, beads, and flowers rain down on the Jackson crowd.
While the parade will end Saturday afternoon, the party will be just getting started.
The gates open at Hal & Mal’s at 1 p.m. for the official afterparty, with live music starting at 3 p.m. Performers will include DJ 13lackbeard, Jackson’s own pop party band Pop Fiction, and crowd favorite 80’s cover band the Molly Ringwalds.
For more details on the festivities, visit the Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade & Festival’s official website.
