Parade ready to delight families, revelers

By Cristina Uranga 

The Greenville Avenue Area Business Association (G.A.A.B.A.) welcomes the 42nd Annual Dallas Mavericks St. Patrick’s Parade & Festival on Saturday, March 11 — the parade’s top sponsor since 2016. The parade will begin at 11 a.m. on Greenville Avenue at Blackwell Street and end at SMU Boulevard and Central Expressway. The festival will run from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Proceeds from the St. Patrick’s Day parade benefit the G.A.A.B.A. Scholarship Fund for graduating Dallas ISD high school seniors.
Photo courtesy of The Greenville Avenue Area Business Association

Attended by more than 125,000 people each year, the largest St. Patrick’s event in the Southwest returns with live music, floats, food trucks and an Irish spirit of celebration, featuring City of Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson as this year’s Grand Marshal. 

“Every year we look forward to one of the biggest events in Dallas, the St. Patrick’s Parade, and this year we are thrilled to once again partner with the Dallas Mavericks to bring that vision to life,” said Kevin Vela, board chairman of G.A.A.B.A. “The Mavs organization has been our number one sponsor for many years and a phenomenal parade partner. We’re proud to work together to bring top notch family-friendly entertainment to the community while making a valuable contribution to area youth through our educational scholarship fund.”

The parade has delighted families and children for more than 40 years and has attracted some of the best entertainment in the Metroplex. Featured event activities are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Proceeds from this year’s parade will go toward the G.A.A.B.A. Scholarship Fund, which has provided a total of $45,000 dollars to graduating seniors in DISD in previous years. 

Each year, G.A.A.B.A. awards up to $15,000 to select students at Conrad, Wilson, and North Dallas High Schools. 

Online donations may be made at DallasStPatParade2023.eventbrite.com. Click: “select a time” and then “tickets.” Scroll to the bottom for the Donations box and enter the desired amount.

“Our goal this year is to raise $42,000 in donations, which aligns with celebrating the parade’s 42nd year.

The parade will begin at 11 a.m., but the public is invited to arrive on Greenville Avenue for festivities beginning at 9 a.m. 

Because of the crowds and popularity of the parade, visitors should plan to arrive early and leave late. 

The parade route starts on Greenville Avenue at Blackwell Street — with street closures scheduled to start at 10 a.m. for north and southbound lanes of Greenville Avenue — and ends at SMU Boulevard at Central Expressway. 

Alternative routes around the parade area include Loop 12, Mockingbird Lane and Park Lane with access to Skillman. Parade-goers are encouraged to ride share or ride the DART Rail, as parking is extremely limited. Recommended DART Rail stations include Mockingbird Station, Lovers Lane Station and Park Lane Station. Visit dallasstpp.com for more information and to see a map of the route.