The 5th Annual Saint Patrick's Parade organised by the Celtic & Irish Cultural Society Ltd (CICS), in association with Crawley Borough Council, The Town Centre Partnership, The Dion Fund and Sussex Police, promises to be the best yet with a new location for the finale entertainments and a fancy dress competition with lots of prizes.
The Parade, to be held on Sunday 16th March 2008 at 1pm, will be the focal point for Crawley's Saint Patrick's Festivities, It's not just an Irish only St Patrick's Parade, it's a parade for Crawley - something for everyone to enjoy. As Chairman, John Nolan explains, "Part of the aims of the parade, apart from having fun or having the 'craic', is to encourage Crawley's diverse and vibrant community to participate in a greater understanding of Celtic and Irish traditions". Crawley is a town with extensive Irish roots as many of the labourers who built the Town were Irish immigrants who settled here and consequently many of their traditions from Ireland live on in Crawley today.
This year there will also be fancy dress competition - based on an Irish theme, of course. Whatever your age, you could be a leprechaun, an Irish Fairy or even St Patrick himself! There will be prizes for the best dressed on the day.
The Parade starts at 1pm prompt from Crawley Bus Station and takes a route down Haslett Avenue West, then left into the one way system onto Station Road past Crawley Train Station. It then travels past County Mall and turns left onto Southgate Avenue/College Road, then at the College roundabout it turns left onto the Boulevard. The parade then takes a left onto The Broadway where pedestrians will enter Queens Square. The new and improved finale of the parade , to be held for the first time at the Bandstand in Queen's Square, will feature an afternoon of live music and Irish Dance demonstrations from around 13.30 - 16.00.
Please feel free to bring flags of your native Irish county, your Celtic nation, or such flags as represent your cultural background. Everyone is welcome as the whole of Crawley is invited to celebrate Ireland's national celebration. If you wish to organise a float, or represent an organisation that would like to take part in the event, please contact Shannon Mackey Witton on 07815 055281 or email: crawleyirishadmin@googlemail.com. You can also find further details on our website: www.celtic-irish.co.uk/crawley-saint-patricks-weekend/
Notes to Editors:
The Celtic and Irish Cultural Society organise a number of major events in Crawley, West Sussex including The Crawley Irish Festival and Saint Patrick's Day events. In addition, cultural and educational events are funded such as Irish Language classes and musical and dance workshops. The events are funded through sponsorship, grants and admission to events. Our thanks go to our sponsors including The Dion Fund (an agency of the Irish Government supporting the Irish living abroad), Crawley Borough Council, Crawley Town Centre Partnerships, Cottesmore Golf and Country Club, Foundation Developments Ltd, Landmark and Coinford.