Even though Monday, March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, the 53rd annual St. Patrick’s Parade will take place along Jordan Road in Uptown at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 15. Thirty-one groups have registered to spread the Luck of the Irish. Attendance last year was around 1,400.
Crowd size varies depending on weather, sometimes numbering as many as 3,000 in past years.
“It’s a fun, traditional community event where we get to do something different that a lot of the other communities around don’t,” Sedona Parks and Recreation Manager Josh Frewin said. “So it makes Sedona the place to come for St. Patrick’s and have a great time.”
Jordan Road will be closed from 7 a.m. until approximately 1:30 p.m. for the parade, although homeowners on adjacent streets will still be able to access their properties. The main city parking lot at Schnebly Road and Peach Lane will be closed during the event to be used as a staging area.
Parade participants will include the Northern Arizona Celtic Heritage Society, Sedona Heritage Museum, Sedona 99s, Sedona Area Veteran and Community Outreach, Sedona-Bell Rock Kiwanis Club, Sedona Car Club and, for the first time this year, the Phoenix Pipe Band.
“The Phoenix Pipe Band will be at the very end of the parade. They’ll perform the whole way down the parade route, but take a little extra time in front of the judges’ stand and do a performance there,” Frewin said. “They’re known as [Arizona’s] longest-running pipe band, and they have done the bagpipes since 1958. So they will be a cool addition to the parade this year.”
This year’s parade judges will be City Manager Anette Spickard, Director of Public Works Kurt Harris, and Assistant City Attorney Monique Coady. Frewin said that this year’s parade will not have a grand marshal, but attendees can still anticipate royalty.
“From the Yavapai-Apache Nation in Camp Verde, the Tribal Royalty Court would like to wish the city of Sedona a Happy St. Patrick’s Day,” the Y-AN wrote in its float description. “The newly crowned 2025-26 Royalty Court are: Miss Yavapai-Apache Nation, Kiki Lowry; Miss Teen, Avilah Lewis; Miss Teen First Attendant, Wa’siiva Lewis; Miss Princess, Tylena Garcia; Miss Princess First Attendant, Lillyani Thompson; Little Missy, Savannah Prigmore; Tiny Tot Girl, London Gyce; and Tiny Tot Boy, Sa’kye Stuart.”
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office will be driving a DUI command center truck and a patrol car as part of the parade.
“YCSO and Sheriff David Rhodes urge all residents and visitors to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day responsibly,” YCSO’s float description stated. “Have a designated driver.”
Last-minute participants can contact Sedona Parks and Recreation at rec@sedona.az.gov or (928) 282-7098 for volunteering or float opportunities. For more information about the parade, visit sedonaaz.gov.
