Sunday, March 12, 2023 – parade starts at 2:00pm
Link to Baltimore St Patrick’s Day Parade website…
Note: Teelin is exhibit #19 (of 68 total) in the 2023 parade. We will gather at Staging Area 2 between 11:30am-1:30pm. Teelin Booster Club is hosting a pre-parade tailgating party for while we wait to start dancing in the parade!!
FAQ’s
Who may dance in the parade representing the Teelin School of Irish Dance?
ALL Teelin students are encouraged to participate in The Baltimore St. Patrick’s Day Parade! Parents are also welcome to learn the Teelin Parade Dance in class with their children and to participate in the parade! (See the step notation and/or instructional video.)
Parents are NOT permitted to walk with the dancers, walk along side of them, or walk along the parade route. This is a parade policy and not a Teelin policy. (See below for more information for parents.) All participants must dance the Parade Dance and remain with the group for the entire route (link). Parents participating in the parade may choose to dance with their child or dance with another parent.
What do we do?
There is an official “Teelin Parade Dance” that all Teelin dancers participating in the parade will need to know. This simple dance will be taught in class 1-2 weeks before the parade. (See the step notation and/or instructional video.) On the parade route, each participant will dance the Parade Dance holding a partner’s hand (up high, Irish style!), then walk a short bit clapping along to the music, and then Teelin instructors will call out “5, 6, 7, 8!” and the dance will begin again.
What do we wear?
ALL parade participants are required to wear a RED Teelin Shirt/Sweatshirt, along with black pants or Teelin pants. Wear sneakers. Do NOT wear your Irish dance shoes – they are not for pavement!!!
Where and when do we meet?
We will not know these details until a few days before the parade. Emails will be sent to all Teelin families as soon as we learn the rendezvous location (usually Mt. Vernon Place) and the time. Dancers will line up anywhere between 12-2 pm depending on where Teelin is in the parade line up.
What if my child would like to participate but I do not?
For the safety and security of all of our dancers we implement a “Buddy System”. Each dancer should select a dance partner for the Parade Dance in advance (if possible) and meet that partner at the parade line up. Parents should instruct their child never to leave their buddy; that includes going to the bathroom. The buddies will stay together until the end of the parade and until both dancer buddies are picked up. If you arrive to pick up your dancer before the other parent has arrived please wait with the other dancer until his/her parent arrives.
If your dancer doesn’t have a partner in advance rest assured we will find them one upon their arrival. Please don’t leave the drop off site until you meet your child’s buddy.
The parade ends before President’s Street right in front of ESPN Zone.
How can I help?
A few volunteers are needed to help decorate the parade float, distribute necklaces and tattoos to the dancers, and clean up the float at the end of the parade route. If you are available and interested, we would love your help! Just show up on the early side of the timeframe that we announce by email (which we won’t know until the parade organizers tell us a few days before the parade), and we’ll put you to work. Thank you!
How much fun can we have?
An infinite amount!!! This is, after all, a St. Patrick’s Day parade with your Teelin Irish Dance Family! Teelin has also won the parade’s “Dance Award”… very cool. Remember to join us for the party after the parade, too!