10 Tips For Taking Your Kids To The Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade

St. Patrick’s Day in Holyoke is one of our favorite parts about living in the city. It really comes alive to celebrate all things St.Patrick and there is a full weekend of events. The city of Holyoke typically celebrates the weekend after St. Patrick’s Day with a 10k road race on Saturday and then the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday. Both are equally fun in their own ways, but as someone with small children, the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade is where it is at for us!

The Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade started in 1952 as a way for the city of Holyoke to honor their Irish heritage.  In those early days, the budget and parade was pretty small. They got the entire parade started with just a few hundred dollars. The humble beginnings of the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade has grown in to something the town is nationally known for and recently was named a top destination for St. Patrick’s Day by USA Today. 

We’ve gone to the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day for several years now. While it is a massively sized parade, it is also one you can totally take your kids to.

10 Tips For Taking Your Kids To The Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

 

1. Put your chairs or blankets out early. 

In the past, people started putting their chairs out for the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade several days in advance and it got a little crazy. Per the City of Holyoke, chairs/blankets/tarps to save your spot can be put in place as of 8:00 am on parade day (any earlier, and they are subject to removal by the city). I’ve always ran down on Sunday morning to put out our chairs and never ever had a problem with them being moved or removed. We sit at or near the same spot every year and it is a prime location.

Here is a map of the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade route. 

2. Be prepared for the crowd. 

Each year, around half a million people descend on Holyoke (population 45,000) to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. There are a ton of families who enjoy the parade, the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade is a great family adventure!

Here are some things we do to prepare our kids. When I first wrote this post,  Lola was 18 months old, and she was in a stroller.  Malone was five at the time. Now, both kids are out of strollers.

• Take a picture before we leave the house with my iPhone. I hope I never need to use it, but if I do, I’ll be able to show the police what EXACTLY he has on.
• Attach our contact information to both kids. Malone has an ID bracelet from Road ID that he wears when we go to places with large crowds. You could also just write your information on a note card and stick it in their pocket.
• Designate a meeting spot. We sit in the same area every year and have the same meeting spot. Malone knows where that spot is and that is where we’ll meet him.
• Remind both kids what they need to do if they gets separated from us. He needs to look for a helper and ask for help, not try to find us on his own. He needs to try to stay calm and remember that we’ll be looking for him too. Finally, he needs to tell the helper about our meeting spot.
• Remind both kids who the helpers are. The best people to ask for help are policemen, firemen, or someone on the parade committee. The parade committee is easy to spot- they all wear yellow jackets.

3. Pack a lot of snacks and water. 

There is food available (more on that in a bit) but bring your own too! A lot of families bring coolers on wheels. It holds the food and doubles as a place to sit!

4. Plan your escape route. 

The Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade is a really long parade. In addition to contingencies from the City of Holyoke, State and National officials, there are eleven other cities represented. The entire parade route 2.6 miles long. That is A LOT of parade, especially if you’ve got little ones! We go to the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade almost every year, and we have yet to make it through the entire thing. The key to a good escape is all about where you park!

If you’re coming into the city for the parade and need to park, here are my recommendations based on viewing areas.

Northampton Street.

• To take 91 N/S home, park on the side streets to the west of Northampton street or in the neighborhoods to the north of Beech Street.
• To take 391 home, park in the neighborhoods on the east side of Northampton St or in the neighborhoods to the south of Beech St.

Beech Street. 

• To take 91 N/S home, park on the side streets and neighborhoods of Northampton street or to the north of Beech Street.
• To take 391 home, park in the neighborhoods on the east side of Northampton St or in the neighborhoods to the south of Beech St.

Appleton Street. 

• To take 91 N/S home, park on the side streets east of Appleton St.
• To take 391 home, park on the side streets west of Appleton St.

High Street. 

• To take 91 N/S home, park on the side streets north of High Street but east of Appleton Street. If you park west of Appleton Street, you might get stuck. Avoid parking south of High Street. The parade ends on High Street and the areas around there are used as staging to get the people in the parade back to their cars at the K-Mart Plaza. Click here to see the specific areas to avoid. 

5. Bring cash. 

For my family, the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade wouldn’t be complete without kettle corn and lemonade! There are several food trucks parked along the way and they’ll be offering standard carnival food- cotton candy, hot dogs, fries, funnel cakes, and cheeseburgers.

There will also be supped up grocery carriages walking up and down the road selling all sorts of magical St. Patrick’s Day treasures.

6. Be prepared for limited bathroom access. 

There are several spots along the parade route with port-a-pottys. There are also close to half a million people along the parade route- so there is a good chance you (or your child) might have to wait their turn. If you’ve got a little one who is the middle of potty training or freshly out of diapers, you might want to consider just using a pull up on parade day.

7. Record it so you can watch it again at home. 

If you’re not local, here is where you can stream it live.  If you are local, coverage will be on WGBY.

8. Dress in layers and bring sunscreen. 

There have been years where we’ve started our Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade Day in snow pants and ended them in shorts. It really depends on the wind and the sun. You don’t really think about getting a sun burn in March, but it has happened to our family in the past so don’t forget it!

9. Be prepared to see people drinking in public. 

The Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade is a huge celebration for the city and a lot of people seem to celebrate with beer. I have seen some people get very rowdy but I’ve also seen a lot of responsible alcohol consumption. It will be there and if you’ve got an older child there will be opportunity to perhaps have the “alcohol” conversation with them.

10. Go, have fun, and don’t be afraid. 

The Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade is something everyone should experience at least once! I know the size and crowd can be intimidating, but you can do it!

Are you planning to tune into the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day parade or attend it in person? Maybe my crew will see you there!

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