South Side Irish Parade Canceled Over Coronavirus Concerns

CHICAGO (BEVERLY) — Heightened concerns over the coronavirus have led to the postponement of the 2020 South Side Irish Parade, city officials have confirmed. The parade had been set for Sunday, March 15 along Western Avenue in the city's Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods. The downtown Chicago St. Patrick's Day parade and the one on the northwest side of the city have been canceled as well.

An increased number of cases reported in and near Chicago and a disaster proclamation called by Illinois Gov. J.B Pritzker have led to several questions coming in as early as Monday on the possibility of the popular South Side parade being called off.

"As you can imagine this was not an easy decision and we do not take it lightly," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, acknowledging the role the parades, not only on the South Side but the one downtown and on the northwest side as well, play in the community.

"We have concluded that having a parade at this time was an unnecessary risk to the public's health," the mayor said.

The South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade committee issued this statement on the decision.

Out of an abundance of caution to contain the spread of COVID-19, the City of Chicago has made the decision to postpone many of the St. Patrick’s Day events this weekend, including our Parade.

While we are disappointed in this development, we well understand the City of Chicago Department of Public Health’s prudent concerns and the recommendations of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that prompts this decision to help keep citizens safe and healthy.

The South Side Irish Parade Committee hopes everyone will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Irish heritage in a safe and family-friendly way this year and we look forward to March 14, 2021, when the largest community celebration of St. Patrick’s Day outside of Dublin will step off once again.

Pritzker called Lightfoot's decision "the right call."

"We all know what the St. Patrick's Day celebrations mean in the city of Chicago," Pritzker said. "But this was the right call."

19th Ward Ald. Matt O'Shea also weighed in.

"Chicago’s South Side Irish Parade is one of the community’s most anticipated and celebrated traditions,” he said. “While this decision will be disappointing to many, minimizing the potential for COVID-19's spread must be our top priority.”

Lightfoot said she would work with parade organizers on finding an "appropriate" date to reschedule the parade. However, the committee's statement above indicates that as of now the next date on the radar for holding the parade is March 14, 2021.

Earlier this week, organizers had said the parade would go on despite the outbreak. The official South Side Irish Parade Twitter account noted that "Tradition marches on" and "See you Sunday" in response to a question on that.

Tradition Marches On Joe. See you @TonyDaMimbo and @barstoolcarl on Sunday!
— South Side Irish Parade (@SSIrishParade) March 10, 2020

Jim Smith, co-chair of the South Side Irish Parade committee, spoke more about it on this week's episode of the EP Podcast before the parade was postponed.

Before Wednesday, parade organizers were moving forward with plans the same way they had in year's past. SEE MORE: Your Complete 2020 South Side Irish Parade Survival Guide

This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.

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