Time: Saturday March 14 at 10:00 AM (Celtic Festival Opening Day)
Where: Downtown St Augustine
The Parade marches to huge crowds all around downtown St. Augustine!
The parade finishes at the festival site on Francis Field.
You won’t want to miss it!
Click to open Parade Route PDF
Presented by: Romanza-St. Augustine, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
2026 PARADE REGISTRATION BEGINS JANUARY 15
$75 for Commercial or Non-Commercial Group Entry
Accredited K-12 Schools or College Groups Admitted FREE but must still register
If you have questions, please contact: [email protected]
Please see Parade Rules below.
2026 PROFESSIONAL PIPES & DRUMS BANDS
City of St. Augustine Pipes & Drums
Coastal Florida Police & Fire Pipes & Drums
and Special Guests:
THE FDNY PIPES and DRUMS BAND from New York
and
THE PARKVIEW LASSIES SCOTTISH DRUM & BUGLE CORPS from Springfield, MO
FDNY Gone South, a retiree organization based here in St. Johns County, is honored to host the FDNY Pipes & Drums as they march in the 2026 St. Augustine St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
The St. Augustine St. Patrick’s Day Parade is considered the oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the nation, and 2026 will mark the first time the FDNY Pipes & Drums will participate.
The year 2026 is also especially significant, as it marks the 25th anniversary of September 11th as well as the 250th anniversary of our nation. No organization has done more to honor and preserve the memory of those we lost on 9/11/2001 than the FDNY Pipes & Drums.
To help support the band’s trip to the “Oldest City,” we are raising funds through the sale of a commemorative T-shirt.
You can purchase the special design T-shirt (see below) by visiting www.fdnygonesouth.com
Please reach out if you would like to consider a sponsorship opportunity or a special performance by the band. I hope you will join us in giving this deserving group a weekend filled with celebration and
appreciation.
As we say in the FDNY – “NEVER FORGET”. Timothy Geraghty, FDNY Gone South
Front and Back of Tee Shirt
The Parkview Lassies are an all-female Scottish drum & bugle corps from Parkview High School, Springfield, Missouri. Now in their 70th year, the Lassies have represented Parkview since its opening. Their mission is to stimulate school spirit, be good citizens through community volunteerism and involvement, and to maintain high standards of its members. The current Corps is under the direction of Joni Stant (Lassie 1979-81) and Samantha Gardner (Lassie 2014-16), both alumnae, proud to be part of guiding a new generation of Lassies.
Since 1956, nearly 1,700 young women have proudly worn the MacArthur tartan and continue the mission today. The Lassies are a sisterhood that transcends a high school activity and the bonds formed within the Corps last a lifetime. Alumnae support the Corps through volunteerism, fundraising and personal assistance to the Corps. Many ladies travel to attend performances and events and are a huge part of the Lassies’ success.
Each year, the Lassies perform at numerous events within our community and statewide and have even traveled to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Cherry Blossom Festival. In 2026 we are proud to be representing Parkview at the St Augustine Celtic Music and Heritage Festival.
THE 2026 ST. PATRICK PARADE GRAND MARSHAL
Gordon J. Wilson, Ret’d Superintendent
Castillo de San Marcos/Fort Matanzas National Monuments
Gordon Wilson became superintendent of Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas in 1992, retiring in September of 2025 after serving with the National Parks Service for nearly 50 years.
Beginning his career in 1977 as a Park Ranger at the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Gordon continued to serve with the National Parks Service at locations around the country before coming to St. Augustine in 1992.
He was quoted in an interview by reporter Noah Hertz in Jacksonville Today as saying “The mission that we have is really pretty simple. We take places that are important to the people of this country and the world, really … and we take care of them.” “We give the visitor an experience and a chance to enjoy it and understand why it’s important.”
2026 PARADE ANNOUNCER
JESSICA CLARK is an Emmy award-winning news anchor and reporter for First Coast News (NBC 12/ABC 25) and a resident of St. Augustine.
2026 PARADE JUDGES:
Davey Hartzel, Sunny TV host
Amy Hendrickson, local musician
Doug Murr, owner/operator of Dog Rose Brewing Company
Renee Unsworth, Totally St. Augustine
Jeff Valin, National Training Coordinator for Historic Tours of America
PARADE RULES
Units must pay attention to the Parade Marshals and their directions. They are there to make sure things go smoothly
Units must be decorated and in the theme of St. Patrick’s Day – the greener the better.
This event is a celebration of Celtic music and heritage, and not for political statement, causes or agendas
Motor units can be no wider than 8.5 feet and 13.5 feet tall, per the FDOT manual for commercial motor vehicles, chapter 11
Units shall report at their designated time on the route, not before. This enables a smooth loading of the units on the street
Vehicles towing floats must be dependable and mechanically sound
Trailers and flatbeds must be skirted, and no one may hang their legs, arms, or anything else over the side
Pickup trucks do NOT qualify as a “float”entry
All horses MUST have a pooper scooper for each group. Carriage horses MUST have a bag
Everyone should maintain a FORWARD motion at all times. No stopping to perform or interact with the crowds as this will cause gaps along the way
Abide by flag protocols. The United States flag is always first and highest
We reserve the right to remove you from the Parade if the rules set forth above are not followed
To ensure everyone is safety, passengers must remain on floats or vehicles at all times. You may not jump off or on a vehicle, float, train, or trolley on the parade route
No skateboards
Sponsored By
