FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ST. PATRICK'S DAY IN CHARLOTTE

Q: When is the parade in 2012?  
A: The parade will be on March 17, 2012 in Uptown Charlotte beginning at 11 AM.

Q: What is the parade route?
A: The parade assembles & steps off at 9th & Tryon St. and marches south to 3rd & Tryon St.   

Q: What are the festival hours?
A: The festival is also on Saturday, March 17, 2012 and runs from 10:00 AM until 6:30 PM and  the festival has no admission fee.

Q: What is the festival location?
A: The festival is located on Tryon St. starting at 3rd St. and going down to Levine Avenue of the Arts. The festival begins where the parade ends. The entertainment stage is at the Levine Avenue of the Arts end.

Q: How can I apply to have my group march in the parade?
A: For parade entry information, click here.   Previous parade participants should receive application information via e-mail by early December.

Q: How do I get more information about being a vendor?
A: All vendor inquiries should be directed to Dyer Hart Productions at 803-802-1678 or fhartiii@comporium.net

Q: Tell me more about Charlotte, North Carolina
A: For further information contact Visit Charlotte at www.charlottesgotalot.com  or Charlotte Center City Partners, at www.charlottecentercity.org.

Q: What about parking for the parade & festival?
A:  Parking is prohibited on Tryon Street before and immediately after the parade. 

There is a parking deck at the Wachovia Atrium & Plaza. The entrance is on 2nd Street between College & Tryon. There is additional parking at 3 Wachovia and The Green parking deck, the Duke Energy Building and various public lots on the east side of Tryon St.

Q: Is there an alternative way to get to the parade & festival?
A: If you don’t want the hassle of driving around and looking for a parking place, why not take the LYNX train from south Charlotte to the parade? It's an easy ride and the kids would love it. The parade and festival are only a couple of blocks away from the train stop. Click on this link for more information. www.ridetransit.org

Q: What about hotels?
A:

Q: What about hotels?
A: This year we are excited to announce a partnership between the parade & festival and the Marriott family of hotels in order to help our out of town guests have a comfortable & convenient place to stay during their weekend visit to the Queen City. We are partnering with 13 Charlotte area properties to bring you discounted rates for Friday, 3/16 & Saturday, 3/17. Marriott Hotels offer some of the finest brands in the world including Marriott Hotels, Renaissance Hotels, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn & Spring Hill, all of whom have discount rates for St. Patrick’s Day visitors. Discounted rates start at $69 and up and locations range from Uptown Charlotte to the South Park & Ballantyne area to areas with easy access to the interstate highway & Charlotte-Douglas Airport. To find a hotel that will best suit you, go to the red Marriott logo at the bottom of any page on this site and click it on. You will be taken to a custom page that lists all 13 properties. The links to make your reservation and the discount rate codes will be listed here. Please note: These advance reservation discount rates will be in effect until February 17, 2012. After that, the rate will revert to their regular rates.

Q: How late will alcohol be served on Saturday?
A: Until 6:00 PM.  

Q: Do I have to buy a bracelet?
A: Bracelets are needed only for buying alcoholic beverages.  You will have to show proof of legal drinking age (21) at the ticket booth.  There is no charge for the bracelet.

Q: Where are alcoholic beverages allowed to be consumed?
A: Only within the marked festival area.  The festival area will be clearly marked.

Q: Will there be food & beverages at the festival?
A: Yes, there will be a variety of food vendors that will also be offering beverages. Beer will be available for the duration of the festival.  Be sure to come hungry!

Q: Will there be activities for children at the festival? 
A: Yes, there will be plenty of activities for children. Come to the Celtic Kids Zone at 3rd St where there will be inflatable & other rides & amusements plus children oriented vendors like a balloon artist, sand art and more. For the more adventurous, Eurobungy returns & that will be located at Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Q: Are dogs allowed at the festival?
A:Yes, they are allowed as long as your dog is very crowd friendly. There are a lot of people & a lot of children there, so if they don’t like crowds, this is not the place for them. Owners are 100% responsible for their dogs actions and are responsible for picking up the dog’s waste.

Q: Where are the restrooms?
A: There are Porta Jons on the east side of the block between the Bechler Museum & Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. There are also some Porta Jons in the Celtic Kids Zone.

Q: Is there a rain date? 
A: This is a "Rain Or Shine" event. There is no rain date. 

Q: Do you need volunteers?
A: Yes, we can always use more help!  Please contact Linda Dyer-Hart, using our "contact" page.