Street Closings Announced For 2017 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Big Parade

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The City of St. Petersburg has announced this year’s street closing schedules for one of the largest parades in the nation to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The 32nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Big Parade is scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 16 in downtown St. Petersburg. City officials expect traffic around the downtown St. Petersburg area to be disrupted between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Advantage Village Academy, the parade organizers, anticipate nearly 100 units will participate in the parade including marching bands from Florida A&M and Tuskegee universities, local bands and others from throughout the southeastern United States.

The 2017 parade will start at the intersection of Central Avenue and Second Street and will then proceed west to MLK/Ninth Street. The parade will then turn south for one block to First Avenue South and proceed west to 16th Street. The parade will then make its final turn, left onto 16th Street, and proceed to Third Avenue South, disbanding near Tropicana Field Parking Lot 1.

Immediately following the parade, the second annual MLK Dream Big Family Fun Festival will take place on the east side of Tropicana Field in parking lots 6 and 7 from 2:30 to 8 p.m. The free event will feature activities, games, live entertainment a Kids Zone and more. Food and art/craft vendors will offer items available for sale.

Disabled parking for the festival is available in Tropicana Field Lot 6, which has an entrance on First Avenue South near 14th Street. Some public parking is available in Tropicana Field lots 8 and 9.

The St. Petersburg Police Department are encouraging motorists to pre-plan their travel routes and use streets west of 16th Street. After 10:30 a.m., drivers who need to cross First Avenue North, Central Avenue or First Avenue South are advised to use 28th Street, Interstate 275 or streets further west.

City traffic officials announced that parking will be restricted along the parade route beginning Sunday evening and barricade placement will begin as early as 1 a.m. on Monday morning. IN addition, downtown residents are advised that Residential Parking Permits do not exempt holders from receiving citations or possible vehicle relocation during special events.

Shuttle Services and Parking

The Central Avenue Trolley will operate a slightly modified route on Monday, using First Avenue North and Fourth Avenue North to bypass the parade. Regular CAT trolley fares apply for 50 cents per ride. There will no service on Central Avenue between First Street and 16th Street until approximately 3:30 p.m. Monday. There will also be no CAT service to Beach Drive/Dolphin Parking Lot until after the parade.

In addition to Central Avenue, other roads affected on the CAT trolley route during the parade include MLK/Ninth Street, First Avenue South, Second Avenue North and Bayshore Drive.

The Downtown Looper trolley will not be operating on Jan. 16. City-owned downtown parking facilities, except the MSC garage, will be open for public parking to accommodate parade attendees and other downtown activities and destinations.

The Sundial Parking Garage at 117 Second St. N. will offer the night, weekend and holiday rate of $1 for four hours, $1 for each additional hour and a maximum of $7. Other facilities including the SouthCore Parking Garage, 101 First Ave. S., offer normal rates including $1 per hour with a $7 maximum.

The Al Lang Stadium Parking Lot on the southeast corner of First Street and First Avenue South will offer a $5 flat rate for all-day parking. Parking in the 800 Lot located at First Avenue South and MLK/Ninth Street will be a $5 flat rate all day.

For more about the parade and Family Fun Festival, visit www.MLKdreambig.com.

For additional parking information, visit http://www.stpete.org/visiting_the_city/where_to_park.php. A downtown parking and transportation map is available online at http://www.discoverdowntown.com/.

Image via Steven Depolo, Flickr, used under Creative Commons