Pickle Parade plans massive party for March 18-19

By Amanda Rogers

Mansfield Record

After two years away, the Pickle Parade is ready to party.

“We are very excited,” said John Pressley, president of the Pickled Mansfield Society, the nonprofit group that produces the parade. “We are looking forward to bringing our community back together after two long years of isolation.”

The World’s Only St. Paddy’s Pickle Parade & Palooza, set for March 18-19 in downtown Mansfield, bagged some top-flight talent, headlined by Texas country singer/songwriter Kevin Fowler, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and country musician Cody Wayne. Local bands Radio Kaos and Run 4 Cover will also share the main stage.

The free event will also feature a baby parade, pet parade, 10k and 5k runs, beer keg races, community stage with live local acts, comedy show, two Pickle Playgrounds with a petting zoo, train rides, bounce houses, face painting, pickleball and street hockey, pet adoptions, Pickle Queens, retail and food vendors, pickle and pie eating contests and the big parade.

State Rep. David Cook will also present the parade with a proclamation from the Texas Legislature marking the event’s 10th anniversary.

Admission and parking are free, but get there early, Pressley advises.

“We are expecting upward of 30,000 people,” he said. “Get there early, park at Legacy High School and reserve your seat for the parade.”

Free parking is available at the schools surrounding downtown, including Alice Ponder Elementary, Worley Middle School, Erma Nash Elementary, The Phoenix Academy, R.L. Anderson Stadium and Mansfield ISD Administration Complex. Free parking and free shuttles will also be available from Legacy High School, 1263 N. Main St., from 9:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Saturday. Handicapped parking is available at Legacy High School and at the parking lot at Walnut and West Broad streets.

For a schedule of events, go to pickleparade.org.

Pressley said he is mostly looking forward to being able to have a parade after being shut down in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.

“Just being able to have an event of this magnitude with family and friends and celebrating moving forward with a sense of normalcy,” he said. “We are very excited we can bring this much attention to our hometown.”

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