ST. LOUIS — Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Hibernian St. Patrick’s Parade and Dogtown Irish Festival have been canceled.
Both events were set to take place on March 17, 2021.
After reviewing the guidance of public health officials discouraging large gatherings of people for the next few months, the Ancient Order of Hibernians St. Patrick’s Parade Committee decided canceling the parade was the best thing to do.
“Dealing with all of the unknowns of the current situation, it was impossible to plan an event of the size of the Hibernians’ Parade with this much uncertainty,” said Dennis Pogue, the current chairman of the Hibernian Parade Committee. “So we felt the best course of action was to make this decision now, and focus our efforts on our 2022 parade.”
The committee was disappointed to cancel the parade for the second year in a row, but felt it was in the best interest of parade participants and watchers.
“We know that the thousands of people that look forward to coming to Dogtown every year to celebrate the Hibernian Parade will be disappointed,” Pogue said. “But we can assure them that we will be back bigger and better than ever in 2022!”
Dogtown United, the organization that plans the Dogtown Irish Festival, felt the same way about canceling its event.
“We had been holding out hope that things would fall in place in time to make an event possible for 2021,” said Joe Jovanovich, board president of Dogtown United. “But after much deliberation among our board, and in consultation with our local alderman, we decided it was in the community’s best interest to be cautious and look ahead to making a safe and well-organized festival in 2022.”
Jovanovich said Dogtown United plans to host some virtual events to commemorate the festival week, but details are still being finalized.
He also said more information would be coming out in the weeks leading up to March 17 for how small businesses and restaurants in Dogtown will be operating that day. That information will be posted to Dogtown United's website.
These are the latest St. Patrick's Day events to be canceled for 2021.
The organizing committee behind the Shamrock Run and Parade in Cottleville pulled the plug on this year's event, having made that decision in early December.
Organizers of the downtown St. Louis St. Patrick’s Day Parade said they are planning for an in-person parade in 2021 but warned that could change. It's scheduled for noon on March 13.
