World’s Shortest St Patrick’s Day Parade In Hot Springs, AR

98 feet.

That’s how long (well, how short) the World’s Shortest St Patrick’s Day Parade is. It takes place each year in Hot Springs, AR, so Shae, Truffles and I made sure we were in Arkansas in time for that.

On the first year of our road trip we’d visited Enterprise, AL for the World’s Smallest St Patrick’s Day Parade – a parade consisting of one person who marches a block up to the city’s Boll Weevil monument and back again. Having enjoyed those festivities, there was no way we’d pass up on the opportunity to also attend the World’s Shortest St Patrick’s Day Parade.

The festivities aren’t limited to the parade itself though. There are events throughout the weekend with music, celebrities, a Zero-K race and more.

First Ever 20th Annual World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade

We were at the 20th installment of the World’s Shortest St Patrick’s Day Parade on Friday March 17, 2023. One of the great things about the parade is that it’s held in the evening on March 17th each year rather than the weekend before it. That not only means you get to celebrate St Patrick’s Day on St Patrick’s Day itself, but also that people who are working during the day still get to attend the parade.

After parking in the free parking lot at Exchange Street, we started walking over to Bridge St. Along the way some of the city’s fountains had their water dyed green, with Shae noticing a rainbow there – perfectly appropriate given the day.

Bridge St – the road where the parade is held – is the world’s shortest street in everyday use. The road itself was blocked off when we arrived at about 4:30pm, with crowds already beginning to gather on the sidewalks either side.

With space on the sidewalks already filling up, we wanted to find a good spot to watch the parade. However, we couldn’t go to a St Patrick’s Day and not have something to drink to celebrate, so we headed over to the vendors at the end of the parade route.

Shae got an Irish lemonade which had Jameson whiskey in it, while I got a can of Yuengling.

As you can see in the photo above, we brought Truffles along with us. Bridge St gets very busy during the parade, so I wouldn’t recommend bringing larger dogs along. We have a backpack for Truffles though, so we popped her in there so she wouldn’t get stepped on.

She did get to escape the backpack for a little while before the parade began. The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders were at the event, so Truffles wanted to say hi to them despite Shae being a Washington Commanders fan.

The parade was due to start at 6:30pm, but there was stuff to watch from about 5pm. The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders did a routine…

…a leprechaun and others wandered around throwing beads and other goodies into the crowd…

…there were singers and more.

At 6:25pm there was the official measuring of the parade route and sure enough – it was indeed 98 feet. It was then time for the parade to start, with the Parade Starter for 2023 being Christopher McDonald who played Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore. Here’s a video of the parade about to begin.

And with that, the First Ever 20th Annual World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade got underway, with a steady succession of parade floats and vehicles turning on to Bridge St.

The final float in the parade was the Big Idaho Potato which goes around touring the country at various quirky events like this.

To give you an idea of how long – and how busy – the parade is, here’s a panorama showing the entire route, along with the crowds watching it.

Shae and I returned for the Zero-K the following day (more about that in a moment). The start and end line of the parade route were still visible on the ground, so here’s what it looks like from the start of Bridge St; Shae and Truffles are circled in red at the end of the parade route.

After all the excitement of the parade, Truffles was toast.

The parade finished at about 7:20pm, so it lasted almost an hour which was longer than I’d expected. For some reason I’d thought the floats would be closely bunched together and so it would only last a few minutes!

A band called the Molly Ringwalds were playing at 8pm that evening, but with Truffles being exhausted and Shae and I both being hungry, we decided to head back to our hotel.

That wasn’t the end of the St Patrick’s Day festivities in Hot Springs though. That’s because we got to take part in a fun run walk the next day.

The World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Footrace, The Second Ever Zero-K

We returned to downtown Hot Springs the following afternoon, arriving just after 4pm and once again headed over to Bridge St to pick up our race packets for the second ever Zero-K. The Zero-K is a “race” which is a little longer than the parade route, but not by much. The parade is 98 feet long, while the Zero-K covers 299 feet.

Entry to the Zero-K cost $20 per person, so about 6.69 cents per foot – money well spent! Our race packs contained several goodies including a water bottle and a T-shirt commemorating the event.

We all lined up, ready for the starting pistol at 5pm.

Before setting off on the grueling and arduous 299 foot course, we made sure we were well hydrated.

Here’s the start of the race:

If you don’t have an opportunity to pre-game it, never fear – there’s a hydration station halfway along the route. The good news is that it serves free beer. The bad news is that it’s Michelob Ultra, so not actually beer at all.

As you might expect, it didn’t take too long to complete the 299 foot course.

Having said that, it did still take us much longer to complete it than expected. That’s because a lot of the participants seemed to be competing for the third of the three optional challenges:

• 1st Heat: 1st Place Contenders – Bring your fastest run and try to set a “world” record!
• 2nd Heat: Retro Summer Sprint – Wear your funnest retro and lake attire!
• 3rd Heat: Last Place – Slowest across while maintaining forward motion – Great for younger kids, pets and the laziest of runners!

Most people slow-walked it, but they stood no chance against this guy who gave his glutes a good workout.

Seeing as he was already in l-ass-t place, he sped up to a crawl.

I think there’s only so much time they’ll give you to go slow though, so with only a few feet to go he leapt up and ran across the finish line – an inspiration to us all.

We didn’t stick around afterwards, but if you want to make the most of the experience then stay for the concert later that evening. In 2023 when we attended it was The Village People.

Tips When Visiting The World’s Shortest St Patrick’s Day Parade In Hot Springs, AR

If you’re planning on visiting Hot Springs for a future installment of the World’s Shortest St Patrick’s Day Parade, here are a few tips:

1. Bring cash – There aren’t a huge number of vendors, but if you want to get any drinks, snacks, etc. you’ll need to pay cash at most of them. There’s an ATM available at the Regions Bank – here it is on Google Maps if you want to get directions there.
2. Arrive at least 2 hours before the parade starts – There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that it’ll mean you can get a somewhat good standing spot for the parade, although you might need to be there a few hours beforehand to be up against the railings for the best view. The second is that free parking at the Exchange St Parking Plaza is limited. The parking lot is multi-story and so has lots of spaces normally, but with so many people in town for the parade, we got lucky as we were able to grab a spot as a family left.
3. Wear green – Because duh.
4. Find A Good Spot To Watch The Parade – It goes without saying that you want to find a good spot to watch the parade, but I have a more specific tip. You’ll likely get to Bridge St from Central Ave – the main thoroughfare through downtown Hot Springs. You can choose to be on the sidewalk on the left or right – head to the right. There’s a restaurant on that side called Picante’s Mexican Grill; beneath its windows there’s a ledge. It’s wide enough to be able to stand on it somewhat comfortably so that you can see over the crowds in front of you more easily.
5. Spend A Few Days In Hot Springs – Hot Springs is a really cute city, so don’t just go for the parade – stick around there for the weekend at least and explore. Hot Springs National Park is there in the downtown area where you can learn more about the city’s history and walk through historic bath houses. You can bathe in hot springs, drink hot spring water from various water fountains around the city, hike up the mountain to the Mountain Tower and more.