As a precautionary measure to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19, the City of Delray Beach has cancelled the 2020 St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival, which had been planned for this Saturday, March 14th. City officials and parade organizers have considered multiple factors when making the decision to cancel the event, which draws thousands of people each year to the city’s downtown area. The health and well-being of our residents and visitors remains the City’s top priority.

Numerous factors have led to this difficult decision after thoughtful consideration.  Today, the World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus a pandemic.  The City also received notice today from numerous vendors and the parade’s media sponsor that they will be withdrawing from participating in the event with more vendors likely to cancel before Saturday.  In addition, more than 30 senior CERT volunteers have declined to work the event out of health concerns, hampering the City’s logistics efforts.

The situation in Europe and other locations outside of Palm Beach County has worsened and multiple parade participants are coming in from other countries, states and counties where coronavirus is more active.  Nearby counties (Broward and Collier) have had new cases within the last 48 hours.  Broward County has declared a state of emergency, as did the State of Florida.  Nearby parades have been cancelled, including Ft. Lauderdale and Hollywood, as well as in major cities nationwide.

The City will evaluate other future public events on a case by case basis and will post updated information as decisions are made.

The City of Delray Beach reminds everyone that the Florida Department of Health has established a dedicated coronavirus call center at 1-866-779-6121 that is available 24 hours a day seven days a week, as well as a dedicated email address at COVID-19@flhealth.gov which the public can use for questions or clarifications on issues related to the coronavirus.  

For additional information regarding coronavirus, please visit www.coronavirus.gov or www.floridahealth.gov.