St. Patrick’s Day parade to return to downtown Royal Oak

ROYAL OAK — St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and organizers of the St. Patrick’s Day parade are excited to share their hard work and dedication with the community.

The parade will take place at noon March 15 and start at Royal Oak Middle School, travel south on Washington Avenue and then westbound on West Seventh Street.

Last year was the first year that the St. Patrick’s Day parade made a comeback in Royal Oak, thanks to chairperson Al Carter.

Formerly the public information officer for the Royal Oak Police Department, Carter has been an involved member of the Royal Oak community.

In 2024, Carter told the Review that it was a difficult process starting up the parade since he had never done anything like it before, but this year has been a huge difference in terms of organization.

“This year we had a little bit more time to plan it. It takes around 11 months to start and run the parade in advance,” Carter said. “It’s been a lot less stressful, and I am super excited and honored to be a part of it, let alone share the excitement.”

To put on this event, Carter said it costs approximately $11,000, all of which he and the team of organizers have to raise.

Henry Ford Health has offered to present the event for the first time and is also donating a good amount to put on the parade. Carter said other businesses have also contributed.

“We were blessed to have Henry Ford Health actually sponsor us and donate money to us,” Carter said. “This year we were able to breathe a little easier with the wonderful community that we live in, from Henry Ford Health, to Gus’ Snug, and O’Connor’s pub, they both donated generously towards us.”

The parade will be a family-centered celebration, according to Carter, who said he wants to aim for this to be a family-friendly event because of his love for bringing his own family to the parades in the past.

“We pride ourselves on running a family parade, not a party, so to speak, where people get in that spirit of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. … This is more of a family tradition,” he said. “I always brought my four kids to the parade when they were younger. It was always a family tradition for us. Never in a million years did I think I would be running the parade with the committee to put it on again for all of the other families.”

Daniel Solomon, downtown development manager, said that the Downtown Development Authority is also sponsoring the event.

“We were so happy to provide sponsorship for it,” Solomon said. “We see this as an amazing community event. It helps bring folks out and really highlights the cultural heritage of the population of folks that identify with Irish roots.”

Carter said that nearly all the participants from the last parade will be participating, bringing floats and more.

The parade will stretch a mile long and feature Royal Oak schools, various businesses, Catholic schools and churches, special floats, and more.

Carter said that the floats will be judged by Circuit Court Judge Mary Ellen Brennen, 44th District Court Judge Derek Meinecke and 44th District Court Judge Andrew Kowalkowski.

“I think it’s sort of a neat spin that we did from last year,” he said. “There is going to be a lot of excitement.”

Shirley O’Brien, 89, matriarch of the O’Brien family, has been active in the Royal Oak St. Patrick’s Day parade since the parade’s beginning in 1999. 

O’Brien has been named the grand marshal of the event. She has been a Royal Oak resident since 1961. 

The Rev. John Bettin, from National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, is the honorary grand marshal for the parade this year. Carter said that this year he wanted the parade to focus more on the true meaning of St. Patrick’s Day, while also providing a fun experience for everyone.

“We’ve sort of spun it into a little bit more from last year; we’ve got the community heavily involved,” he said. “It’s obviously to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, a Catholic tradition, an annual tradition, but many people celebrate in different manners and what have you.”

Solomon said that this is a great way for community members to enjoy the downtown.

“This is a beautiful opportunity for folks to grab a neighbor, head down to downtown and start with the parade, and then end up in your favorite downtown business and really make it a whole celebration for the day,” Solomon said.

For more information on the parade, visit royaloakstpatricksdayparade.org.