St Patricks Day Parade, Starring You
Ed Fuentes
Tom Sweeney, and his rabbit, joined in the 2008 Parade.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The 10th Annual City of Los Angeles St. Patrick's Day Parade may not have the same longstanding traditions as the 247th Annual St Patricks Day Parade in New York (considered the oldest parade in the U.S.), but where else can you join in the festivities by just wearing green and comfortable shoes?
That seems to be the promotion angle for this year's parade, being held Tuesday, March 17, at 11:30 am. People are welcomed to march along with dignitaries and bands --provided they wear green.
The parade began as a small assembly organized by Downtown's LAFD Fire Station 3 (108 N. Fremont), and has since been taken over by the city. It has slowly grown to become an extended block party. As always, it benefits the Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society.
Now, it's hard to top Grand Marshall Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgement Day), so he'll be back. Lorenzo Lamas is slated to sing the national anthem, and The Young Dubliners will perform at Pershing Square once the parade ends.
St Patrick's Day Parade / Tuesday, March 17, 2009 / Parade 11:30 am to 12:30, From Main and Arcadia near Olvera Street to Pershing Square / Festival at Pershing Square 11am - 7pm / Parade and Festival are Free
Those not parading should note some road closures: Main Street between Arcadia and 5th will be closed for the parade. The D DASH will be temporarily re-routed between the hours of 11:30am and 1pm. A temporary northbound stop will be located on Los Angeles Street at 2nd Street. "DASH Downtown Routes A and B schedules may also experience delays due to parade-related congestion."
Jim Winstead on March 16, 2009, at 03:19PM – #1
FilmLA has, in their infinite wisdom, issued a film permit for Locksmith to film a Kelloggs commercial at 433 S Main St on 3/17 and 3/18. They'll be wetting the street, putting equipment on the sidewalk, curb lane, and across the street. There will be no lane/street closures, according to the permit.
I hope the parade doesn't get in their way.
I can't wait for FilmLA to express shock and dismay if this commercial crew goes rogue and implements their own traffic control and takes up all of the parking on the block, despite not having the permit for it. Nobody could possibly anticipate that.
steve on March 17, 2009, at 02:28PM – #2
Thanks for making my commute near impossible today. Great planning for all the people who live downtown, I understand that Pershing Square is a public place, but if you ever want downtown to actually be a place people want to live, maybe you should stop closing every single street within 18 blocks of Pershing Square blocking everyone in. Oh, and this year, please clean up after your horses
Caryn Ho on March 18, 2009, at 09:20AM – #3
Steve - Bah Humbug Mr. St. Patty's Day Scrooge. You've only know this parade was coming for a year now. Since the last parade. You certainly could have planned in advance. And I don't think one day is going to kill you. Where's that downtown revitalization spirit? I went to the parade and the concert afterwards and had a blast. And the free concert in Pershing Square given to us by the Young Dubliners was awesome. And they did it for free. The crowds were orderly and the police were great and it looked like everyone had a good time. Except of course you and that extra 15 minutes that you might have had to tolerate for 1 day out of the year. Just take a few deep breaths and be happy and realize if that's the worst thing that could of happened to you yesterday how lucky and grateful you should be.
Jackson on March 18, 2009, at 03:58PM – #4
I am a downtown resident and would like to point out that if one lives downtown AND has the advantage of working downtown, then traffic and street closures are not an issue. Walk. I haven't used my car since Thanksgiving. Many people I know wish they could live here after visiting me. There ARE a lot of us living down here and we love it.