The 13th Annual Hackettstown St. Patrick’s Day Parade sponsored by the Hackettstown Business Improvement District (HBID) will be back in town, Sunday, March 13.

The parade will start at 3:30 p.m. near the Hackettstown Post Office at Grand Avenue and Washington Street. It will proceed down Main Street to the Hackettstown Union Cemetery entrance on Mountain Avenue.

This Irish-American tradition attracts more than 14,000 visitors, making it one of the biggest events in Hackettstown, according to BID Executive Director Laurie Rapasardi. It’s an event when the streets of Hackettstown fill with enthusiasm as families, residents and visitors line up to celebrate.

Preceding the parade, the St. Patrick’s Bar and Brew Crawl will be held Thursday, Feb. 24, from 6 p.m. to closing to support the St. Patrick’s Parade Committee. Celebrate at Marley’s Gotham Grill, Bea McNally’s Irish Pub, Man Skirt Brewing and Czig Meister Brewing Company. A donation of $25 ( the advance purchase price) pays for one sheet of tickets, which includes a coupon good for one beer at each location. Presale tickets can be purchased at the BID office at 219 Main St., and on the BID website, www.hackettstownbid.com, and must be picked up by appointment in the BID office. Tickets can also be purchased at any of the four participating locations from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. the evening of Feb. 24 for $30. Tickets purchased are valid through March 31.

The Parade weekend begins with a Grand Marshal Reception to honor the 2022 St. Patrick’s Parade Grand Marshal, Joe Barnes from Hacketstown, Ireland. The reception dinner will be at the newly renovated David’s Country Inn Ballroom on Thursday, March 10, and will feature a live performance by Rory O’Moore School of Pipes and Drums of Ledgewood and a dance performance by Slattery School of Irish Dance of Hackettstown. Tickets are $55 and are available on the Hackettstown BID website.

Among the featured groups participating in the parade will be Irish dance groups, Irish bands, community groups, bagpipes and drums, Centenary University and Hackettstown High School teams and clubs, surrounding area fire departments and rescue squads, as well as hometown favorites Junior and Senior Colonial Musketeers and the Hackettstown Community Band.

The parade is pet-friendly, with a special Pet Irish Costume Contest sponsored by Doggie Styleash. Judging will be held at Czig Meister Brewing, located at 106 Valentine St. starting at 3:30 pm sharp. Pets will then be invited to walk the parade after judging.

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The Hackettstown BID is selling t-shirts in preparation for the St. Patrick’s Day festivities at hackettstownbid.com.

Orders will be accepted until Friday, Feb. 25, and will be distributed at the BID office, 219 Main Street.

Prices: t-shirt size S to XL, $20; 2XL and 3XL, $25; Long-sleeved t-shirt sizes S to XL, $25; 2XL and 3XL, $27.

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The parade is being sponsored by John Johnson Auto Group, Bright Smiles 4 Kids, Mars Wrigley, Hackettstown Medical Center, Stuber Insurance, WRNJ, Wawa, Centenary University, and House of the Good Shepherd.

The Rory O’Moore School of Pipes and Drums. photo by Jane Primerano