Get ready to catch the leprechaun spirit!
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 26, 2026
For more information:
venturastpatricksdayparade.com
Tel. 805-746-5999
Get ready to catch the leprechaun spirit!
Annual County Ventura St. Patrick’s Day Parade slated for March 14VENTURA, California – The whimsical theme of this year’s County Ventura St. Patrick’s Day Parade – “Catch the Leprechaun Spirit!” – aims to capture the magic and essence of this festive holiday that heralds the coming of spring and celebrates all that is good and fun and green!
Presented by Downtown Ventura, the 2026 parade will commence at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 14, along a three-quarter-mile route in the heart of Ventura.
One of the county’s most popular community events, the decades-old St. Patrick’s Day parade draws a crowd of thousands, who come out in their greenest finery for a lively day along the parade route. Lining Main Street from Aliso Lane to Fir Street, spectators can watch and wave to the always entertaining entrants as they march down the street in front of them.
Beyond Fir and heading into downtown, the party continues after the parade, with dozens of restaurants and other attractions open to everyone along the auto-free downtown streets.
For anyone who’d like to join in the parade, the entry deadline is Thursday, March 5. To enter, go to venturastpatricksdayparade.com/registration and follow the simple steps to submit forms and pay online. Entry fee is $50. The first 100 entries will be accepted.
Parade entrants compete for awards presented by a panel of esteemed judges led by St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee member James Lockwood.
At the heart of this venerated event is the community involvement it elicits, as well as vital local sponsorship, which always comes in strong. Dozens of local businesses, organizations and private citizens contribute every year. Primary parade sponsors this year include Assured Partners; Bunnin Chevrolet; California State University, Channel Islands; Citizens Business Bank; the Terence P. Daly family; E.J. Harrison & Sons; Jordano’s; Bill and Elise Kearney; Kirby Subaru of Ventura; Limoneira; Rescue Mission Alliance; Rincon Fire and Security; Rolls Scaffold; and the Ventura County Credit Union.
Major sponsors donating their time and services include Dargan’s Ventura Irish Pub & Restaurant, Movegreen, the O’Toole Gaston Group, Ventura Rental Center and WhizCom Marketing, as well as media sponsors including CAPS Media, the Ventura Breeze and at least 10 radio stations serving Ventura County.
This year’s parade grand marshal is Ventura’s own community superstar Brian Brennan, a former mayor and four-term city councilmember and a longtime advocate and activist for environmental protection. Among his vast service locally, regionally and beyond, Brennan has served on the California Coastal Commission and on the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Advisory Council.
Brennan also is a longtime co-chair and coordinator of the County Ventura St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. The committee is currently opening its collective arms to Brennan, who will join the rare ranks of Jim Monahan and Nan Drake, fellow parade committee members and former Ventura city councilmembers who have served as parade grand marshals.
For answers to parade entry questions, call Brennan at 805-746-5999 or committee member Aaron Gaston at 805-340-8217. For other parade info, call Monahan at 805-340-1356 or visit the parade website, at venturastpatricksdayparade.com.
###
At left: Brian Brennan, 2026 parade grand marshal. Center and at right: scenes from the 2025 parade.
