San Diego's St. Patrick's Day Parade Is Saturday, March 13, 2027 — and the Parade Is Free

Overview

The San Diego St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival is Saturday, March 13, 2027.

Note the date: the 13th, not the 17th. The parade runs on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day, which is a Wednesday in 2027. That's a feature, not a compromise — you get a full Saturday in Balboa Park instead of a Wednesday lunch hour.

The parade steps off at 10:30 a.m., with a Flag Presentation Ceremony at 9:45 a.m. at Sixth and Laurel. Over 100 entries — marching bands, military units, law enforcement, firefighters, Irish community groups and local organizations. It's rain or shine.

Here's the money structure, because it isn't what people assume.

Watching the parade is free. In the organizers' own words, "viewing the parade is 100% free for all ages."

The festival at the end of it is $10 — but only for adults 21 and over. Under-21s and active-duty military with valid ID get in free. The catch: everyone needs a ticket to enter the festival grounds, including the people getting in for nothing. So the free entries still have to stop at the gate and collect one.

The Route

It's a loop, and it finishes where the festival is.

• Starts at Fifth Avenue and Laurel Street
• North up Fifth Avenue
• Right onto Upas Street
• Right again onto Sixth Avenue
• South down Sixth to finish at Sixth and Laurel

The festival sits at Sixth and Laurel, the same corner the parade ends on, and runs 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. — so it's open before the parade starts and for hours after it finishes.

Practical consequence: pick your spot on Sixth Avenue rather than Fifth. You'll see the parade and be standing at the festival entrance when it passes.

At the Festival

• Live entertainment on two stages
• A beer garden
• Food booths — Irish food and other favourites
• Craft booths
• A Kids Zone with games and rides

It's described as an all-ages festival, with the $10 charge applying only to the 21-and-over crowd.

The 2027 entertainment lineup and dignitaries are both listed as TBA, with an announcement promised closer to the date.

Parking, and the 4 A.M. Warning

This is the part locals need and visitors never find out until it's too late.

Streets including Laurel, Upas and Maple between Fourth and Sixth Avenues are posted "No Parking – Tow Away 4 AM." Four in the morning. If your car is on those blocks overnight on the Friday, it will be gone before sunrise. Vehicle Recovery is 619-527-4392, and you'd rather not need it.

Where to park instead:

• Inspiration Point parking lot, Park Blvd and Presidents Way — the old Navy hospital parking on the east side of Balboa Park
• A shuttle runs roughly every 30 minutes, 9 a.m.–6 p.m., between that lot and Fourth Avenue and Laurel
• Free trolley shuttles also run from Balboa Park parking areas
• Bike parking is at the north festival entrance, at your own risk
• Full shuttle and closure detail is on the organizers' parking and shuttle page

Street closures on the day:

• 6:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. — Fifth and Sixth Avenues between Grape and Upas, Balboa Drive, and the cross streets between Fifth and Sixth
• 6:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. — Sixth Avenue between Laurel and Quince

What You Can't Bring

The prohibited list is longer than most: alcohol, outside food or drink, glass, cans, air horns, drones, bikes, scooters, coolers, wagons, large backpacks and weapons.

Two exceptions worth knowing: unopened disposable water bottles are allowed, and so are empty reusable bottles.

Pets are prohibited except service animals. Worth flagging early — this is the kind of event people assume is dog-friendly because it's outdoors.

If You Want to Be In It

Parade entry applications for 2027 open in late October 2026 and close February 17, 2027.

There are no late entries. The organizers are explicit that City of San Diego permit regulations make that impossible — so February 17 is a hard wall, not a guideline.

• The final entries list is posted about a week after the deadline
• The parade lineup is released a week before the parade
• Check-in on the day is at the Entries Table, Sixth Avenue and Juniper Street. The booth opens 7:00 a.m., last check-in 9:45 a.m., closes 10:00 a.m.
• Zones 1–4 check in 7:30–8:45 a.m.; Zones 5–6, 8:30–9:45 a.m.
• School bands and equestrian groups must arrive before 8:30 a.m., staging at the Marston Loop on Balboa Drive
• There's a Best Theme Trophy
• Float rules come from the City and include a fire extinguisher requirement and a ban on throwing items from floats

Who Runs It

The Irish Congress of Southern California, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is 100% volunteer-run.

Their story began in 1980, and the first San Diego St. Patrick's Day Parade marched in 1981.

Guinness is the longtime presenting sponsor. Others include the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick San Diego, the Government of Ireland, Aer Lingus, the Emerald Society, House of Ireland, the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation and the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial.

Good to Know

• Saturday the 13th, not Tuesday the 17th.
• Stand on Sixth Avenue, not Fifth — you see the parade and you're at the festival gate.
• Everyone needs a festival ticket, even the people who get in free.
• Do not leave a car on Laurel, Upas or Maple overnight. Tow-away starts at 4 a.m.
• Take the Inspiration Point shuttle. It runs every half hour all day.
• Leave the dog at home, and the cooler, and the wagon.
• If you want to march, February 17 is the deadline and there is no flexibility after it.

For more of what's on, browse our full event calendar.