Don we now our green apparel: The 52nd Sedona St. Patrick’s Parade will be marching down Jordan Road from the Sedona Heritage Museum to Mesquite Avenue on Saturday, March 16, starting at 10:30 a.m.

“The best parking areas for [spectators] will be to go up Forest Road, and [use] lots two, eight or nine,” Sedona Parks and Recreation manager Josh Frewin said. “Those are [the] free public parking areas that’ll take you right to Jordan Road for the parade. There are other lots obviously, that large one off Schnebly Road or number five, those are going to be heavily used by the parade participants, so they might fill up a little quicker.”

No parade parking is available at Jordan Historical Park. Jordan Road will be closed starting at 7:30 a.m. to accommodate the parade and should reopen by 12:30 p.m.

“Down those side roads like Mesquite, Apple [and] Schnebly, you can go down them [but] there’s going to be a certain point where it [says] ‘special event ahead,’” Frewin said. “Jordan will be the only one that’s fully closed down, and there’ll be some detours for people to get out of all those neighborhoods.”

This year ’s lineup features 34 entries including civic organizations, businesses, youth, cultural, religious, social, political and school groups, bands and decorative floats; 15 of the groups plan to hand out candy to spectators.

“One of my favorites [entries] last year was a group called the Red Rockin’ Dinos that came and dressed in big inflatable dinosaur costumes like you’d see at Halloween and dressed them up with some St. Patrick’s Day theming. [It] was just something completely unexpected and different and was a crowd favorite,” Frewin said.

This year the Camp Verde Cavalry will be leading the color guard, and the Grand Marshal will be outgoing City Manager Karen Osburn.

“She’s served as city manager for a few years and assistant city manager for quite a few years before that, and [this] is a way to honor her as she’s retiring … as a farewell for all she’s done for the city and both staffwise and city wise,” Frewin said.

Osburn’s successor Anette Spickard will start on Monday, April 8, with Osburn leaving in the first week of May, according to city communications manager Lauren Browne.

“I feel honored and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Osburn said. “As I wind up my time in this role with the city I’ll still be part of the community, but this is just something I’m sure I’ll remember forever as being a special honor to be able to do this and participate in the parade this way.”

Osburn said that she wasn’t sure what style of hand-waving she would choose in her role. “I think I’m just going to show up on Saturday and I’m just going to do whatever feels most natural,” she said. 

Some of this year’s highlights include a convoy of sports cars and local royalty.

“On behalf of the Yavapai-Apache Nation, the newly crowned Yavapai-Apache Nation Royalty Court 2024-25 are here to represent and celebrate our neighboring community in honor of St. Patrick’s Day,” the Nation stated in its float description. “Winners are: Miss Teenage Yavapai-Apache, Alice Mae Kinsey; Miss Teenage Yavapai- Apache First Attendant, Wa’siiva Lewis; Yavapai- Apache Princess, Maliah Garcia; Yavapai-Apache Princess First Attendant, Razakel Gates; Little Missy Yavapai-Apache, Savannah Prigmore ; Tiny Tot Girl, Azariah Jackson; Tiny Tot Boy, Tallon Kinsey. The newly crowned Miss Yavapai- Apache Nation, Keikliana ‘Kiki’ Lowry, would like to wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick’s Day.”

The Desert Irish Wolfhound Association will also be marching with at least seven Irish wolfhounds with their handlers.

“We’re going to have a total of 12 vehicles,” Sedona Car Club Tours and Events Chairman Craig Haberler said. “We’ll have a 1947 Hudson pickup, a 1969 Volkswagen Squareback convertible, a 1987 Buick Grand National, 1962 Corvette [and more] … I’m driving my 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E. That’s the newest one of the group [and it’s] tri-star white metallic.”

Yavapai Broadcasting will broadcast and announce the parade live, with subsequent replays scheduled on the local TV station in the weeks following the event.

For more information about the parade, including maps of road closures and parking options, visit sedonaaz.gov/stpatrick.