Hilton Head St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2026: Where to park, where to watch
Get your green on and get ready for shenanigans!
The 40th annual Hilton Head Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade is this Sunday, March 15.
Here’s everything you need to know to help plan for the event.
Not to rain on your parade, but...
Pack your umbrellas and rain ponchos, because the National Weather Service is forecasting a 60% chance of showers on Sunday.
There’s a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., then “showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm” after 2 p.m.
Carol Kavanaugh-Arrington, media chairman for the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, said the parade will happen “rain or shine” unless conditions are unsafe.
If there are strong winds or lightning, the parade may be cancelled, she said.
The Island Packet will monitor the weather and provide updates as needed.
Where to watch the parade
At 1 p.m. Pope Avenue will partially close, going from four lanes to two, according to Kavanaugh-Arrington.
Grab your lawn chairs and set up anywhere along Pope Avenue, but stay behind the ropes, she said.
The parade steps off on Pope Avenue at 2 p.m. at the Coligny Beach Parking Lot, and continues up Pope Avenue, turns onto Office Park Road, and ends at the Harris Teeter parking lot.
Prefer to watch from home? WHHI-TV will livestream the parade on their YouTube channel.
Parking will be a challenge
According to Kavanaugh-Arrington, about 35,000 spectators are anticipated on parade day.
She said to “plan ahead” and find a parking spot early for the parade.
Some businesses will be closed on Sunday, so paradegoers may be able to park in those lots, but the event representative didn’t name any specifics.
If you do park in the parking lot of a business that’s open on Sunday, Kavanaugh-Arrington said to “be respectful” by shopping or eating there on parade day.
She also recommended people carpool or take rideshares to the parade location.
Where you can park
Here are the locations where The Island Packet confirmed spectators can park on parade day.
Town-owned public parking lots are located at 69 Pope Ave. and 72 Pope Ave. These are free to use, but space is limited.
According to the official website for the parade, paradegoers can park in the USCB parking lot. The Breeze Tolley is offering one-way trips from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to take paradegoers from the USCB lot to Lowcountry Celebration Park.
Coligny Plaza businesses will be hosting a variety of activities, including live music and drink specials, on parade day. Parking at Coligny Plaza is reserved for patrons of Coligny that take part in the festivities, according to spokesperson Heather Rath.
Signs posted in the Circle Center parking lot at 70 Pope Ave indicate that people can pay to park by scanning the QR code posted on the signs. Paid parking is enforced 24/7, according to the signage.
This section will be updated as more information is provided.
Where you can’t park
These are the locations where The Island Packet confirmed that spectators shouldn’t park.
The Coligny Beach Parking Lot, located at 102 Pope Ave, will be used as a staging area for the parade. Therefore, members of the public cannot park there on parade day.
Town-owned paid beach parking lots across Hilton Head are intended for beach use only, according to Heather Woolwine, communications and marketing director for the Town of Hilton Head Island.
The Park Plaza parking lot, where the Harris Teeter is located, is open only to those that are customers in the plaza, a manager at Harris Teeter told The Island Packet.
This section will be updated as more information is provided.
Road closures and detours
The Beaufort County Sheriffs Office issued an advisory at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday with guidance on road closures and traffic detours in the Forest Beach area on parade day.
Starting 11 a.m. on Sunday, sheriff’s office employees will begin placing cones and barricades along Pope Avenue.
From 1 pm. to 5 p.m., the eastbound lanes of Pope Avenue will be closed to traffic.
Both lanes of traffic onto Pope Avenue from Sea Pines Circle will be blocked off.
Drivers on College Center Drive and Office Way will be rerouted to Office Park Road and will only be able to exit onto Greenwood Drive, police said. The exit onto Pope Avenue will be blocked.
The Shipyard Gate on Pope Avenue will be closed to traffic.
Traffic flowing from Lagoon Road onto Pope Avenue will only be able to make a right-hand turn.
Those traveling from New Orleans Road to Coligny Circle will be rerouted to the westbound lanes of Pope Avenue.
This story was originally published March 13, 2026 at 9:24 AM.
