Back to All Events

Pittsburgh St. Patrick's Day Parade Celebration

The St. Patrick's Parade begins at 10 am on Saturday March 16 and will run through Downtown Pittsburgh and the Strip District. The parade day celebrations happen rain, snow, or shine, so be prepared and dress appropriately.

City of Pittsburgh seeks South Side businesses’ assistance in keeping celebration activities safe. Please share this information with your neighbors and other local businesses!

SAFETY

Watch out for Vulnerable People: Emergency Medical Services urges you to keep watch over intoxicated persons to ensure they don’t leave with strangers or under other suspicious conditions. Monitor restrooms frequently for those who may have passed out or overdose victims.

What to do in Emergency:  After calling 911, designate a staff person to meet emergency personnel at the door, and then lead them to the emergency.

Public Safety Lane: To assure access for emergency vehicles, no parking will be allowed in the public safety lane (East Carson between 12th and 17th ) starting early morning Saturday, March 16th. Signs will be posted 24 hours in advance.

Social Media:  Use #PGHStPatricksDay for social media marketing and safety updates.

See Something, Say Something:  Businesses, employees and customers are encouraged to report anything that doesn’t look or feel right. Do not be afraid to call 911. We want you to.

Prevent Escalation:  If you see a problem bubbling up, don’t second guess, call 911 immediately. It is easier to contain an incident before it escalates.

SANITATION

45 Portable Toilets paid for with Parking Enhancement District (weekend night meter revenue) will be located in five surface parking lots between 1300 and 2000 blocks of East Carson and between 1800 and 2000 blocks of Sidney.

Businesses are responsible to keep sidewalk free of trash in front of their business. Please pick up throughout the day to prevent slipping and tripping. Night businesses, after closing time please push trash into street for DPW to sweep.

Street Cleaning: Public Works will be clean streets after the celebrations DPW will do their best to attend to overflowing trash during the day, though they likely will not be able to get through the traffic.

Sunday Clean Up – 2 person Clean Team supported by Parking Enhancement District funds will supplement Sunday morning. Volunteers are welcome to chip in and make South Side beautiful for brunch.

ENFORCEMENT

Sandwich Boards:  For the safety of pedestrians, no sandwich boards or any other sidewalk obstructions will be permitted. Enforcement will be present on Saturday.

Sidewalk Vending requires a permit. Unpermitted vending will be enforced.

RPP/Parking Meters: Parking meters will be on and enforced as per usual Saturday until midnight, as will the Residential Parking Permit areas. To facilitate traffic flow and emergency access, there will be no parking on East Carson between 12th and 17th (both sides) starting early morning of Saturday, March 16.  24 hour notice will be posted.

PARKING / SHUTTLES / SHARED RIDES

Uber/Lyft/Z-Trip: Help promote shared rides. The following discounts are available on Saturday for first time rides.
• Lyft: STPADDYSDAY19 for $10 off
• Uber: PGHSAFETY2019 for $20 off
• Z-Trip: ZLUCKY for $10 off


Employee Parking: Communicate to employees that parking meters and RPP parking areas will be strictly enforced on St. Patrick’s Day.
There are two park/shuttles:
1. FREE PARKING/SHUTTLE is available in the Second Avenue Parking Plaza located on Second Avenue at the confluence of Armstrong Tunnel and the 10th Street Bridge beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. FREE shuttle 8:00 a.m. Sat to 4:00 a.m. Sun. from the Second Avenue Parking Plaza stops at the First Avenue Parking Garage & T Station and stops on South Side at: Bedford Square (near Jacks), S. 18th and Sidney (at parking lot) and S. 21st @E. Carson (across from Candy & Cigar). During peak hours there will be two shuttles running. A real time tracker for the shuttle is available ONLY when shuttle is in operation and may be found at www.ssniterider.com The lot is fenced,
extremely well-lit and will be patrolled regularly by police. Shuttle drivers will drive employees directly to their car in this lot only.
2. NEW Shuttle from South Side Works to 21st St will circulate noon to midnight from 2500 parking spaces at South Side Works with stops at Ladle Garage (2640 Sidney), Hot Metal Garage (2822 Sidney), NW corner of E. Carson at 26th and NW Corner of E. Carson at 21st. Weekend rate is $3 flat rate (not per hour).

IMPORTANT ITEMS NOT RELATED TO ST PATRICK’S DAY

Sidewalk/Street Disruption: Construction begins Mon, Mar. 18 on streetscape improvements, which will remove section of sidewalk closest to curb to lay conduit for new lighting. Starting at 10th and 17th and working eastward, work will take approximately 3-weeks per block. Passage will be available for pedestrians. Follow updates through Chamber.

Sign Permits: Permits, Licensing and Inspections reminds businesses to renew sign permits.

Recycling: Environmental Services will be updating code and would like to conduct a recycling pilot with South Side businesses. Look for communication from them later this month.

Thank You: The City of Pittsburgh is grateful for your partnership in keeping Pittsburgh safe on St. Patrick’s Day and every day. We hope you have a successful day!

Allison Harnden, Nighttime Economy Manager
Emily Embrey, Nighttime Economy Coordinator
Office of Nighttime Economy: 412-255-2380

Earlier Event: March 4
East Carson Street Strategy Meeting
Later Event: March 20
Board of Directors Meeting