Milwaukee Saint Patrick's Day Parade facts for kids
The Milwaukee Saint Patrick's Day Parade happens every year in downtown Milwaukee. It takes place on the Saturday before Saint Patrick's Day. The parade is put on by the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin. On March 15, 2025, the Shamrock Club held its 57th Annual parade.
The parade is part of a week of fun events. These events are put on by the Shamrock Club and Westown Association. They include Irish activities at The Avenue in downtown Milwaukee. There is also Westown's SHAM-Rock party at the Lucky Clover Pub on Milwaukee's Martin Luther King Drive. This party happens on Friday evening. The Shamrock Club also holds its yearly Mass to honor Saint Patrick at Saint Patrick's Church in Milwaukee. On parade day, there is a big Post Parade Party at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center. This party is the largest family event of the day. It has four stages, four dance schools, seven bands, and a special area for children. MKE Post Parade Party
The parade starts at 6th Street and Wisconsin Avenue. The official start is at North Martin Luther King Drive (which used to be Old World Third Street) and Wisconsin. It then goes to Plankinton Avenue, back to MLK Drive, east on Juneau Avenue to Water Street, and finishes on Highland Avenue. The route is about one and a half miles long. It takes about 90 minutes for the parade to pass by.
History of the Milwaukee St. Patrick's Day Parade
The very first parade happened on March 17, 1843. It was organized by Milwaukee city officials and leaders from the Catholic Church. City officials wanted Milwaukee to become more important than Green Bay. Catholic leaders hoped Milwaukee would become the main church area for Wisconsin. Many Irish priests were in Wisconsin at that time.
A Swiss German priest named Father Martin Kundig helped start the idea for the parade. A book about him from 1942 said he was a person "filled with character."
The first parade began at what is now East Wells Street and Van Buren. It went north on Van Buren, west on what is now State Street, then south on Jackson Street, and back to Wells Street. They walked around St. Peter's Church, which was the main church downtown. The parade leader was Milwaukee's founder, Solomon Juneau.
By 1844, Milwaukee became the main Catholic area for Wisconsin. It was chosen over French areas like Green Bay, Wisconsin and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. The new bishop, John Henni, bought land near the first parade start point. This land was used for the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (Milwaukee).
Parade Returns in 1967
The parade started again in 1967. It began at the Lincoln Memorial Bridge, near the Milwaukee Art Museum. It marched west along Wisconsin Avenue. The parade ended at the Milwaukee Public Library. This route was only used for one year. People found that the wind blew from west to east, making it hard to hold banners and flags.
So, in 1968, the parade route was changed. It started at the Milwaukee Public Library. Then it went east along Wisconsin Avenue. It ended at the Milwaukee County War Memorial. A special viewing stand was set up at Water Street and Wisconsin Avenue.
In 1973, the city of Milwaukee planned to rebuild the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge. This project took two years. Because of this, the Shamrock Club had to find a new place for the parade.
Parade Moves to Mitchell Street
Parade organizers were asked to move the event to Mitchell Street in 1974. Mitchell Street is on the South Side of Milwaukee. It was named after Alexander Mitchell, a Scottish immigrant and important person in Milwaukee. Mitchell Street was a busy area with many stores. The businesses there hoped the parade would help bring new life to the street.
The parade started on First Street and Orchard. This was near the Allen-Bradley (now Rockwell International) building. It marched down First Street to Mitchell Street, and then up Mitchell Street to 13th Street. Many people came to watch the parade in this neighborhood, which had many Polish and Mexican families.
In 1977, Danny O'Donoghue stopped being the parade leader. Jeanne McCue then took over. She was the Shamrock Club's first "Wild Irish Rose" in 1973. Later, McCue was honored for her work as a nurse during the Bosnian War.
In 1978, Catherine "Cate" Harris became the parade leader. She was a long-time member of the Shamrock Club. She also helped volunteers at the International Institute of Wisconsin's Holiday Folk Fair. There were still many Irish families in the area. They had settled near Saint Patrick Parish, which is a few blocks north of where the parade started. St. Patrick's Church is still where the yearly Mass is held on parade day.
After Cate Harris, Chuck Ward became the leader. He was a key person in the Nash's Irish Castle Kazoo Band. He was also in a Milwaukee Irish music band called Blarney. Later, he helped organize the Milwaukee Irish Fest.
Parade on North Avenue
In 1985, the parade moved to North Avenue. It ran from 53rd Street in Milwaukee to 74th Street in Wauwatosa. The parade started on the Steuben Middle School playground. The mayors of Milwaukee and Wauwatosa were part of the parade each year. Maricolette Walsh, the Wauwatosa mayor, was also a Shamrock Club member. She helped keep fees lower on the Wauwatosa side of 60th Street.
When the parade was on North Avenue, the committee held a window decorating contest. Businesses along the parade route decorated their windows with leprechauns, flowers, and shamrocks. After the parade, a party was held at Pius XI Grade School. Later, the party moved to the Wauwatosa Civic Center. Both of Milwaukee's Irish dance schools, Trinity Academy of Irish Dance and Cashel Dennehy Irish Dancers, performed in different years.
Some business owners on North Avenue complained that they lost money on parade day. The streets were closed for hours, and many parade watchers left right after the event. So, organizers looked for a new location.
Parade on Bluemound Road
The parade was held on Bluemound Road in 2001. It still went through both Milwaukee and Wauwatosa. Derry Hegarty, who owned an Irish pub and was from County Cork, helped with this move. He owned Derry Hegarty's Irish Pub on 54th and Bluemound. Many Irish pubs on Bluemound were happy to host the event.
The parade started at 70th Street and ended at 51st Street. It began between 75th and 74th Streets. There were money problems with the co-sponsor, the Bluemound Business Advancement Association. So, the Shamrock Club looked for another place. A report from February 2002 said that the Bluemound Business group did not agree to a four-year contract. They wanted to pay less money each year.
Return to Downtown Milwaukee
The Westown Business Development group in downtown Milwaukee had been holding its own parade on March 17. Not many people attended it. Westown wanted to make their parade bigger. They suggested working with the Shamrock Club in 2000. After talks with the Bluemound Business group did not work out, Westown made another offer. The two groups agreed to move the 2002 parade downtown.
The parade took place in downtown Milwaukee starting in 2002. The first route went from 6th Street and Wisconsin, east to Water Street, north on Water Street, and west on Juneau Avenue to Old World Third Street, then to Wells and Plankinton. In 2004, the route changed. It went north on Plankinton Avenue to Old World Third Street, then to Juneau, east to Water Street, and ended at Highland Boulevard. This change was made because the parade was blocking access to the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts during Saturday shows. The parade now starts at The Avenue, which used to be the Shops of Grand Avenue.
Mike Boyle returned to help with the parade in 2009. His daughters, Erin Hennen and Meghan Boyle, helped him. In 2012 and 2013, Mike Boyle and Denis Donohoe led the parade. Killian's Irish Red, a MillerCoors brand, was the main sponsor from 2013 to 2016. In 2014, Josh Walton took over. Michael Boyle led the parade again in 2015 and continues to do so.
Parade in 2018
The 2018 Parade was the 52nd Annual Parade. It happened on Saturday, March 10, 2018. It started at 3rd Street, now called Martin Luther King Jr Drive, and Wisconsin at noon. The parade went from 3rd and Wisconsin to Plankinton, north to Old World Third Street, then to Juneau Avenue, and down to Water Street, and from there to Highland Avenue. This is just north of the Marcus Center for the Arts. The 2018 parade was special for a few reasons. [1]
It was the 175th anniversary of the first St. Patrick Parade in Milwaukee. It was also the founding year of the Milwaukee Archdiocese. Archbishop Jerome Listecki was both the Grand Marshal of the parade and led the 33rd Annual Mass at St. Patrick's Church.
Parade in 2019
The 2019 parade was the 53rd yearly event. It was held on March 9. One hundred ten groups marched from 3rd Street and Wisconsin that day.
Parade Canceled in 2020
On March 10, 2020, the Shamrock Club, Westown, and the City of Milwaukee decided to cancel the 54th Annual Parade. This was because of concerns about COVID-19.
Stacie Callies, the director of Westown Association, said that the safety of people was always their main concern. She said it was a hard choice, but everyone wanted to help stop the spread of the illness. This decision was made to protect the 30,000 people who come downtown each year.
The Shamrock Club board agreed. Mike Boyle, the Shamrock Club's parade director, said it was a tough decision because of all the planning. He thanked all the sponsors, participants, and volunteers for their support. [2]
Organizers said they might try to hold the parade later. But by July 15, 2020, no other date was chosen due to ongoing COVID-19 issues.
Planned Return in September 2021
In January 2021, the Shamrock Club and Westown decided to delay the parade until September 25, 2021. The parade was planned as a "Halfway to St. Patrick's Day" celebration. This date was chosen so it would not conflict with the delayed Summerfest event. However, because more COVID-19 cases appeared, and a new variant called Omicron, the parade was delayed again. This time, it was moved to March 12, 2022. Both the Westown and Shamrock Club boards made this decision in late August 2021.
Before that, a statement was released: Mike Boyle, the Shamrock Club's parade director, said they were sad to cancel the March parade. But he said the decision was easy because it was about keeping people safe. [3]
He also said they were excited to hold their first "Halfway to St. Patrick's Day Parade" in September. He added that for it to happen, everyone needed to keep following safety rules. [4]
Parade in 2022
The parade returned to its usual March schedule in 2022. It had been two years since the last one. It started at noon on March 12, 2022. It began at Martin Luther King Drive (the former Old World Third Street) and went to Highland and Water Streets.
The annual Post Parade Party included five bands: Athas, Radiation Music, Blackthorn Folly, Atlantic Wave, and The O'Bradys. There were also four dance schools: Trinity, Kinsella Academy, Glencastle, and Caledonian Scottish Dancers. Storyteller Eileen O'Rourke and Irish comedian Adam Burke also performed. The party was held at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center of Milwaukee. [5]
Parade Directors
Many people have helped lead the parade over the years:
- Danny O'Donoghue
- Jeanne McCue
- Cate Harris
- Chuck Ward
- Michael Boyle
- Mick McDermott and Tim O'Brien
- Dan Malloy
- Mike O'Leary and Mark Smith
- Kristine Carrig Pluskota and Denis Donohoe
- Michael Boyle, Meghan Boyle and Erin Hennen
- Josh Walton
- Michael Boyle
