New Jersey’s 2026 St. Patrick’s Day Parade Schedule: Full Guide by County
More than 20 parades are planned for New Jersey’s March 2026 St. Patrick’s Day season. From early March to the last weekend of the month, nearly every county will celebrate Irish ancestry with music, marching bands, cultural practices, and family-friendly events.
The 2026 parade season runs from Sunday, March 1, to Sunday, March 28. Many city parades and town celebrations feature pipe bands, Irish dancers, community organizations, and grand marshals. Some municipalities are celebrating with religious services, unity brunches, and pet-friendly activities.
The 38th Atlantic City St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held on the Boardwalk at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 7. Organizers promise school bands, string bands, pipers, dancers, and painted floats.
The Rutherford Irish-American Association’s 9th Annual Parade on Park Avenue at 1 p.m. kicks off Bergen County’s month. Carol Gilhawley, the 2026 grand marshal, will sing the Irish national song, followed by the Rutherford High School Choir singing “The Star-Spangled Banner”. The 44th Bergen County St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be conducted on Sunday, March 15. At 1 p.m., Roy Brown Middle School in Bergenfield raises the flag, and the parade begins at 2 p.m. and ends at St. John’s Roman Catholic Church.
Mount Holly will host the Burlington County St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 7, at 1 p.m. The parade will include pipers, Irish bands, dancers, local Irish groups, and mummers along High Street.
The 11th Annual Camden County Parade will be held in Gloucester City on Sunday, March 1, at 1 p.m. Gloucester City, NJ Irish Society, and Camden County Board of Commissioners host the event. String bands, bagpipers, dancers, and community groups will perform. FOX 29’s Bob Kelly will host celebrities.
On Saturday, March 14, at noon, the North Wildwood parade will begin at 2nd and Old New Jersey Avenue in Cape May County. A 10 a.m. Catholic Mass at St. Ann Church of Notre Dame La Mer Parish will start the day.
Essex County hosts a state-historic event. The 1936-founded Newark St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held at noon on Friday, March 13. The route starts at Raymond Boulevard and Mulberry Street. This year, the Castlerea Brass and Reed Band from Ireland will perform at New Jersey’s oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade. West Orange’s parade will start at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, after a 9:30 a.m. Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church.
The Hudson County Jersey City procession begins at Dickinson High School on Saturday, March 7, at 1 p.m. On Sunday, March 22, at 1 p.m., Bayonne’s 43rd Annual Parade will march from 5th Street and Broadway to Gregg Bayonne County Park.
The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick will parade in Clinton, Hunterdon County, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 15. The three-day Irish Festival at Red Mill Museum Village includes the event.
Mercer County’s Hamilton Parade begins at the Nottingham Fire House on Saturday, March 14, at 1 p.m. March 28 will be the rain date.
Sunday, March 15, at 2 p.m., Middlesex County will celebrate with the South Amboy Parade. The tradition began on Pine Avenue in 1975 and ended on Broadway.
Monmouth County will host huge events. Asbury Park and Rumson hold 1 p.m. parades on Sunday, March 8. At 12:30 p.m., Freehold Borough’s procession begins with a Grand Marshal Induction Ceremony and marches down Main Street. A severe snowstorm in late February postponed the Belmar Lake Como Parade on March 1. Now on Saturday, March 28, at 12:30 p.m. In collaboration with Belmar and Lake Como authority, organizers planned safety. The largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in New Jersey may bring over 100,000 people. Parade chairman Chip Cavanagh said the committee will not allow weather end over 50 years of tradition.
The Morris County parade in Morristown begins on South Street at noon on Saturday, March 14. The Seaside Heights parade in Ocean County will begin at noon on Saturday, March 7, at the Boulevard at J Street and head north.
Passaic County’s Ringwood celebration begins at Skyline Drive and Fieldstone Drive at 1 p.m. on March 21. Daily 9 a.m. Ringwood Community Center Unity Breakfast after Irish Mass at St. Catherine’s Church.
Somerset County’s Somerville parade will march down Main Street to Borough Hall on Sunday, March 15, at 1:30 p.m. Event organizers said dogs are welcome if leashed. The Somerville Knights of Columbus will have a grand marshal celebration with the Willie Lynch Band on March 13.
Saturday, March 7, at 11 a.m., Newton’s parade begins at Spring Street and Diller Avenue in Sussex County and ends in Memory Park.
Union County’s 29th Annual Parade will be held Saturday, March 14, at 1 p.m. after morning Mass and a Union Center grandstand performance. Live entertainment and food trucks are scheduled all day.
Warren County will host the Hackettstown Parade on Sunday, March 8, at 3:30 p.m. Irish dance groups, musicians, school teams, fire agencies, and community organizations participate. Organizers built a calm sensory zone along the route for noise-sensitive people. The parade includes a pet-friendly Irish costume contest before the march.
Parade organizers around New Jersey advise folks to arrive early, plan for traffic, and monitor local weather reports. Large crowds are expected for many events, especially in beach villages and historic cities.
From North Jersey to the southern shore, the 2026 St. Patrick’s Day season celebrates New Jersey’s Irish-American heritage. New Jersey will again host weeks of music, tradition, and community celebration in March for families, visitors, and longtime residents.
Sources
Official parade committees and county event organizers across New Jersey
Municipal announcements from participating towns and counties
Statements from parade organizers and event committees
