The
Hilton Head Sun
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March 4, 2026 • Volume 29, Issue 3 • Complimentary • HiltonHeadSun.com
Hilton Head St. Patrick’s Day Parade marks 40 years By Sasha Sweeney Editor
One of the Lowcountry’s most enduring traditions will return to Pope Avenue this spring as the 40th Annual Hilton Head Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade gets underway Sunday, March 15, at 2 p.m. Recently named the 2025 Best South Carolina Festival by Guidetosouthcarolina.com and hosted by the Hilton Head Ireland St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, the free event draws thousands of residents and visitors each year to celebrate. The parade steps off from the beach parking lot near Celebration Park onto Pope Avenue, makes a left onto Office Park Road and ends at Park Plaza. The event traces its roots to 1983, when local businessman Tom Reilley and a small group of friends informally drove down Pope Avenue to promote a newly opened restaurant. “It was Tom Reilley and the gentleman that opened Kasey’s Crustaceans. They had their cars and one was a miniature fire truck. They just decided to drive down Pope Avenue,” said parade chairwoman Gabrielle Muething. “Unfortunately, the police said, ‘You can’t do that. You don’t have a permit for a parade.’ They said, ‘We’re not parading. We’re just driving around.’ And so it began.” Over four decades, the modest promotion evolved into what is widely regarded as the state’s oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade. Organizers say attendance has reached as many as 25,000 spectators in past years. This year’s parade will feature nearly dozens of entries, including commercial floats, Irish dancers, dignitaries and marching bands. “We usually have up to 100 entries, that includes our bands and our dignitaries and all of the other wonderful entries that we have. We have commercial floats. We’ve got Irish dancers, we have 12 bands this year, which is amazing,” Muething said.
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Participating groups in recent years have included high school and university marching bands, pipe and drum corps, military bands such as the U.S. Marine Corps Band from Parris Island, and local civic organizations. Past parades have also featured appearances by the Budweiser Clydesdales, military jet flyovers and novelty vehicles including the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile and the Big Idaho Potato. The 40th anniversary carries added significance after the 2025 parade was canceled due to severe weather — the first cancellation in the event’s history. This year’s celebration will also honor the legacy of founder Tom Reilley, who
died in May 2025. His wife, Diane Reilley, will serve as grand marshal. Pope Avenue will be closed to traffic during the parade. Spectators are encouraged to arrive early, bring lawn chairs and consider using alternative transportation, including The Breeze trolley service from the University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Hilton Head campus to the parade’s starting area near Lowcountry Celebration Park. Four decades after its spontaneous beginnings, the Hilton Head Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade remains a spirited celebration of community pride, Irish culture and island tradition.
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