March 12, 2025
Joseph Gidjunis/City of Philadelphia
The annual St. Patrick's Day parade will feature marchers, dancers and the owner of Paddy Rooney's Pub in Havertown as grand marshal.
Marchers, step dancers and musicians will walk down a new route for the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Center City on Sunday.
The Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association's event kicks off at 11 a.m. and is expected to end around 3 p.m. Marchers will start at 16th Street and the John F. Kennedy Boulevard, but will then head north on Benjamin Franklin Parkway and conclude at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In past years, the parade has proceeded down Market Street and ended at Penn's Landing.
The performance areas and main grandstands will be located on the museum's East Apron. Paddy Rooney, owner of Paddy Rooney's Pub in Havertown and a Northern Ireland native, will be the parade's grand marshal. This year's theme is service, focusing on those dedicated to helping others.
A new route (above) is planned for this year's St. Patrick's Day parade, beginning at 16th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard and ending at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Provided Image/Philadelphia Office of Special Events
At 9 a.m., Archbishop Nelson Pérez will lead a mass at St. Patrick's Church on 20th and Locust streets. The service includes performances by the Bishop Shanahan High School Choir and Philadelphia Emerald Society Pipe Band.
People can sign up for text alerts from the city on weather, transit, event details and public safety updates by texting ReadyPhila to 888-777. Here's everything you need to know about this year's celebration.
The event will be held rain or shine, officials said, and paradegoers might want to plan for the former. The National Weather Service predicts an 80% chance of showers, although they will mainly take place after 2 p.m. Temperatures will be warm, though, with a high of 71 degrees.
From 5:30 a.m.-4 p.m. the following street will be closed:
• Eakins Oval from Kelly Drive to Spring Garden Street
From 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. the following streets will be closed:
• JFK Boulevard between 20th and 15th streets
• 20th Street between Market and Arch streets
• 19th Street between Market and Arch streets
• 18th Street between Market and Arch streets
• 17th Street between Market and Arch streets
• 16th Street between Market and Arch streets
• 15th Street between Market and Arch streets
From 10:30 a.m-3:30 p.m. the following streets will be closed:
• 16th Street between Market and Cherry streets
• Benjamin Franklin Parkway between 16th Street and Eakins Oval
• All neighboring cross streets on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 16th to 22nd streets until the parade passes
• From 6 a.m.-3 p.m., the 1400 to 2000 blocks of JFK Boulevard will be closed to parking
• From 5 a.m.-3 p.m, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway between 16th Street and Eakins Oval will be a temporary no parking zone.
From 5 a.m until 5 p.m. Sunday, SEPTA Bus Routes 2, 7, 17, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 48, 49, 124 and 125 will all be detoured in Center City. Route changes will be shown on SEPTA's website and detour signs will be posted around the route.
Alcoholic beverages are prohibited, and organizers said the open container law will be strictly enforced. Weapons, fireworks and explosives, illegal substances, skateboards, scooters, motorized vehicles (except for wheelchairs), laser pointers and drones are all banned from the route.
Regional Rail riders are also discouraged from carrying bags or backpacks, as they will be searched before entering the parade. No one will be allowed on the trains with cups or liquids of any kind.
If you want to avoid the crowds, the parade will broadcast from noon-3 p.m. on CW Philly 57 and streamed on CBS News Philadelphia. Encore broadcasts and streaming replays will be shown on Monday, March 17, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and noon-3 p.m. on CBS, and noon-3 p.m. on Philly57.
