PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY FOR ST. PATRICK’S PARADE

Worcester police are preparing for the annual Worcester County St. Patrick’s Parade and Guinness Celtic 5K road race, which is scheduled to be held on Sunday, March 13, 2022. Worcester police would like to advise the public that there will be a number of detours on Sunday, to accommodate the events.

The parade begins at noon and the route stretches approximately 2.1 miles along Park Avenue. Motorists are asked to avoid this area and seek alternative routes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Motorists are asked to use Mill Street for Southbound traffic and Main Street for northbound.

The race will start at 11:00 at Elm Park. The race start and finish are located on Park Ave near the intersection of Park Avenue and Highland Street.

Beginning at 6:00 a.m. Park Ave from Highland Street to Elm Street will be shutdown. Leading up to the road race, motorists traveling North on Park Ave will be detoured onto Elm Street and will be directed around the park in order to reenter Park Ave. Southbound traffic will be redirected around the park as well to reenter Park Avenue at Elm Street. Beginning at 10:00 a.m. Elm Street will be closed from Russell Street to Park Ave. There will be intermittent traffic flow East to West across Park Avenue when possible (Pleasant St, Chandler St, etc.). However, it is highly recommended that motorists seek alternative routes during the parade.

The Worcester Police Department is making the following preparations for this event to ensure that spectators have a safe and enjoyable time.

Undercover and uniformed police officers will be positioned along the parade route and in the most populated areas focusing on the crowds that are expected to line the street. Officers will be on the lookout for people possessing open containers or drinking alcoholic beverages in public along with targeting underage drinking. Attendees are reminded that this is a family-friendly event and to celebrate safely and responsibly.

Command officials will be monitoring the parade from the department’s Real Time Crime Center located on the third floor of Police Headquarters. The officials will view video feeds from cameras positioned along the parade route and will be communicating with officers on the street to alert them to specific incidents if necessary. Utilizing the Real Time Crime Center has proven to help officers’ access information quicker and easier, and it’s expected to be a strong resource for Sunday’s event. Command officials used the Real Time Crime Center during the parade in years past and found that it enhanced security.

Additionally, the Worcester Police Department has been collaborating with the Massachusetts State Police to prepare for the parade. Massachusetts State Police bomb and explosive detection dogs and their handlers will be deployed before and during the parade to conduct a sweep of the area.

The department would like to remind the public to be aware of their surroundings and to report any suspicious activity. Citizens can utilize the department’s text a tip service- If anyone has information for police, they can send an anonymous text to 274637 TIPWPD + your message or send an anonymous web-based message at worcesterma.gov/police. Calls can also be made to the Worcester Police Department at (508) 799-8466.

Lastly, some of our officers are looking forward to participating in the parade along with the Mounted Patrol, and Police Pipes and Drums!