CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After a three-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Charlotte St. Patrick's Day parade and festival returns to Uptown Charlotte.
Celebrations were canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, then again last year when the organizer became ill.
The new organizer, Rory Wall, told WCNC Charlotte when he learned the celebrations were canceled for a third year, he decided he was going to step into the role to continue the Charlotte tradition.
"We hope that this weekend mirrors all of the prior parades," Wall, the chairman of Charlotte St. Patrick's Day Committee, said.
Wall said he expects 100,000 people will be in attendance for the parade and festival.
Local businesses, including Irish pub RiRa, said they're hoping to capitalize on the crowds returning.
Sydney Wilson, a manager at RiRa, said staff members are looking to get back to business as it was before the pandemic.
"They closed our doors for 16 months, and then yes, we did reopen," Wilson started. "So it has been a little bit of a struggle but we've seen that kind of subside in the past year. So we're really amped up and excited this year."
The bar manager said they will open at 9 a.m. on Saturday, earlier than usual. She said they'll have live music starting at 1 p.m. and food and drink specials all day.
"Through our team and the continued support of Charlotte, we're starting to see our business pick up after some tough times," Wilson said.
Beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, the festivities begin on Tryon Street. A parade begins at 11 a.m. The events are being held on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day.
iting the size of the crowds for the St. Patrick's Day events and a Charlotte FC soccer game, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) said they will reduce service on the CityLYNX Gold Line streetcar Saturday.
Instead of street cars arriving at stations every twenty minutes, CATS said street cars will arrive at an interval every thirty minutes. The normal schedule is expected to resume at 1 p.m. following the conclusion of the parade.
Additionally, the LYNX Blue Line light rail will operate with a 15-minute interval between trains from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. That's 5-minutes more frequently than the usual 20-minute interval on the weekend.
For more information about CATS schedules, riders can visit RideTransit.org. For questions or concerns, community members can speak to CATS Customer Service at 704-336-7433 (RIDE).
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