Newport St. Patrick's Day Parade Returns This Weekend

NEWPORT, RI — Newport's St. Patrick's Day parade will return this weekend, for the first time since 2019. The popular annual event was canceled for the last two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The parade will step off at 11 a.m. on Saturday, though traffic disruptions are expected from about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the downtown area. Newport police encouraged anyone coming to the city to watch the parade to avoid Broadway during that time. Parking will be limited.

Newport police reminded parade goers that officers will be stationed along the parade route to enforce city ordinances banning open containers of alcohol in public, noise violations, disorderly conduct, urinating in public, underage drinking and other activities.

"The Police department will have a strong presence to make this a fun, safe and family friendly event," Newport police said.

Parade

The parade will step off from lower Broadway before continuing to Washington Square, heading south on Thames Street to America's Cup Boulevard, then back to Thames Street at Memorial Boulevard. It will then continue to Carroll Avenue and end at St. Augustin's Church.

This year's grand marshal will be Robert "Rocky" Kempenaar II, overseeing the 66th parade. It will be dedicated to the memory of Garrett M. “Gary” Loftus, parade organizers said. The grand marshals from 2020 and 2021 will help lead the parade, organizers said, since they were unable to march in their own.

Traffic and parking

Police encouraged visitors to take one of two routes into the city to find public parking. The first option is to head west on Memorial Boulevard, then right onto Bellevue Avenue, left onto Church Street and right into the Waterfront parking lot between Church and Mary streets. The other is to take Farewell Street south to America's Cup Boulevard, then turn right into the Gateway parking garage.

Parking will be banned on the following streets from 5 a.m. until 3 p.m. No parking will be allowing along the parade route.

• Broadway from Cranston/Equality Park West to Washington Square
• Equality Park Place and Equality Park West
• Dr. Marcus F. Wheatland Blvd. (West side)
• Bull St. At Spring St.
• Spring St at Bull St.
• Washington Sq. from Broadway to Thames St.
• Thames St. from America’s Cup Ave. to Morton Ave.
• Carroll Ave. from Morton Ave. to Harrison Ave.
• Both sides of America’s Cup at the Gateway Center
• Narragansett Ave between Spring St and Bellevue Avenue.

Traffic heading south will be detoured onto Marcus Wheatland Boulevard at Equality Park. Northbound vehicles will be detoured away from Broadway on Spring Street, up Bull Street to Kay Street. Traffic heading west on Memorial Boulevard West will head north onto Thames Street at the post office, while northbound traffic on Thames Street will be diverted away from America's Cup Boulevard by heading up Mill Street to Spring Street.

Pandemic cancellations

This will be the first year the parade will be held since coronavirus first arrived in Rhode Island. In March 2020, the parade was one of the first major events to be canceled by the then-new pandemic. The cancellation, eventually supported by both the Newport City Council and then-Gov. Gina Raimondo, drew controversy at the time.

Organizers hoped to hold the parade the following year, initially planning to hold the 2021 parade in the fall. It, too, was eventually canceled due to pandemic concerns.