Kenosha celebrates St. Patricks Day for first time

  • 2025-02-18
For the first time, Kenosha is planning a celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.

The Inaugural Eric Olson Memorial St. Patrick’s Day Parade starts at the intersection of Seventh Avenue and 50th Street, traveling down Sixth Avenue to end at Library Park. The Lakeshore Business Improvement District, along with Downtown Kenosha, and the City of Kenosha are presenting the event, which will include Irish music, dancers, and more. The parade chairman this year is Mick Kelly, a native of Ireland.

Groups, as well as community members, are invited to add to the fun of the day by entering dance groups, marching bands, floats, and other types of entertainment. A 2K run is also part of the festivities. It will start near Captain Mike’s, and go south through Downtown Kenosha. Guinness will be provided at three stops: Captain Mike’s, Swedes, and Cut Stone Foods.

The fun begins early, when Mayor David Bogdala and Mick Kelly meet at the pier to dye the Kenosha Harbor green. In addition, boaters further out will help the effort by pouring dye into the water. Residents may want to go to the harbor promenade, or Navy Memorial Park, to watch.

The Parade is scheduled for March 15 at 11.00 am, with the harbor dyeing at 8.30 am, and the Guinness run at 10.00 am. When a run is part of an event like this, organizers may want to work with banner printing to create course markers.