NORFOLK, Va. — The 56th Annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade is happening on Saturday, March 18.
And on Friday, many vehicles were parked along Granby Street in preparation of the first Norfolk Saint Patrick's Day parade in several years.
News 3 had noticed many vehicle had been ticketed, so we reached out to city officials to ask if there had been a change this year. In years prior, ticketing vehicles had been suspended in this area.
Friday afternoon, City Manager Chip Filer issued a statement admitting it was a mistake.
“We are excited the Ocean View St. Patrick’s Day Parade is back this year after a long hiatus. After three years, City staff are a bit rusty at remembering the parade’s annual traditions. As a result, staff mistakenly ticketed cars that were parked in medians along the parade route. I apologize to those that were ticketed over this matter. Rest assured we will correct this error. Please hang onto your ticket and we will provide further instruction on next steps in the near future. I hope everyone enjoys the resumption of this wonderful annual tradition.”
Driving and parking in downtown Norfolk may be trickier to navigate, but we’ve got helpful details on where to park.
The following information was shared by Norfolk Parade organizers:
Road Closures
- Norfolk Police will close Granby Street from Bayview Boulevard to Bay Avenue at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 18. The remaining portions of the parade route will be closed between 9:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
- All streets will re-open by 1:00 p.m., except First View Avenue which will remain closed until 1:30 p.m. and Government Avenue which will remain closed from First View Street to Hickory Street until 4:30 p.m.
Parade Route
- The parade begins at Northside Middle School. From that point, it travels north on Granby Street, turns left at A View Avenue, turns left on First View Street, and ends at the intersection of First View and Government Avenue.
- The parade route is approximately 1.5 miles. Parade Route
Parking
- Please be mindful of "No Parking" signage as well as "No Parking on Grass" signage. Norfolk Police will tow cars parked illegally along the parade route.
- Parking is approved on public streets adjacent to the parade route (beginning Thursday afternoon) and in the following city parking lots: Northside Park, Oceanair Elementary, Willoughby Elementary, Ocean View Senior Center, Sarah Constant Beach Park, Community Beach Park and Ocean View Beach Park. Parking is not permitted at Pretlow Library.
The parade is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. For more information, click here.
