We are so honored to have been able to bring the St. Patrick’s Parade back to Knoxville in 2017. We have loved giving so many in our sweet community the opportunity to spotlight their businesses, organizations, schools and families while bringing thousands of spectators to our beautiful downtown!
What you may not know is that our parade benefits CCETN. CCETN provides services for ANYONE in ANY need/situation, from embryo to elderly, regardless of race, religion, age, orientation or disability.
Since 2017, with the help of our amazing sponsors, participants and volunteers, we have raised close to $80,000 for CCETN!
It is never too early to sponsor, participate or volunteer! Shoot us an email! Knoxstpatricksparade@gmail.com 2024 Parade March 16th 1:00pm Please visit ccetn.org to learn more about the amazing organization we benefit!!
Congratulations to Julia Zabek, this year’s recipient of the Knox St. Patrick’s Parade John and Pat McLauglin Scholarship. Mr. and Mrs. McLaughlin were the original organizers of the KSPP in the 80’s. We are honored to have a scholarship awarded to a deserving high school graduate in their memory.
Presenting the scholarship is Sue McLaughlin Greer, (the couple’s oldest child), and KSPP organizers Chandle Turbyville and Christy Watkins.
As Sue so beautifully stated, “Irish eyes are smiling.”
Knoxville’s St. Patrick’s Parade was ready to celebrate with Comedian, Leanne Morgan as Grand Marshal in 2020. Sadly, COVID19 shut down the parade and everything around us. Knoxville would have to wait to celebrate with Leanne.
Three years later, we are thrilled to announce that Leanne is back! Charming, beautiful and down right funny, Leanne Morgan, will lead the parade as our 2023 Grand Marshal on Friday, March 17.
After 22 years in comedy, Leanne Morgan has cemented herself as a must watch comedian. Leanne was feeling the lure of Hollywood after graduating high school, but the idea of moving there was unheard of and too daunting fora country girl who had never been away from home. She enrolled in college at The University of Tennessee, where she graduated (by the skin of her teeth) with a degree in Child and Family Studies.
Shortly after that, she married her husband Chuck and they moved to Bean Station, TN in the beautiful foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. To stay busy after having her first baby, Leanne started selling jewelry at home parties. She was supposed to talk about the jewelry but instead conversed about breastfeeding, hemorrhoids and being a mama. The party guests thought that she was hilarious to the point somebody peed on a couch, and before she knew it, she was booked out a year in-advance. The jewelry company saw what was happening and asked her to speak at their sales rallies. It was there that women started saying, “you need to do stand-up!” That gave Leanne the courage to really go for it!
Leanne finally had access to comedy clubs when her family moved to San Antonio in 2001, and her career in comedy quickly started to skyrocket. Leanne’s comedy has landed her at the prestigious Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and has brought her development deals for her own sitcom with ABC and Warner Brothers, writer/producer Matt Williams (Rosanne and Home Improvement) and, TV Land. Leanne has garnered over 2 million followers across social media and her popular stand-up special, So Yummy has reached over 50 million views on YouTube.
Her fan base continues to grow with her relatability as she discusses everything from being a housewife, sharing Jell-O recipes to having a new grandbaby. She has appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show, ABC’s The View, Nick at Nite’s Funniest Mom and toured with the Southern Fried Chicks. Now that her children are grown, Leanne is currently on The Big Panty Tour for her 100-show theater run across the U.S. with Outback Presents. In December 2022, Leanne taped her first special for a major streaming platform and will be back on the road with her next 100-show theatre and arena “Just Getting Started” tour with Outback Presents in 2023.
Knoxville’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is set Friday, March 17, 2023. Save the date and make plans now to march with us through the streets of downtown Knoxville.
Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day! Bring your group, business, team, or band and be part of the fun! Join us as we parade through downtown Knoxville on March 17, 2023.
Want to be part of the parade? We have room for participants!
There are many ways to sponsor this year’s parade. As our event grows we have seen the growth of more events, more visitors, more media coverage and more parade participants meaning two things – more exposure for all of our sponsors and partners and more support for the thousands in need helped by Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, who will receive the proceeds from this year’s event.
We definitely shed quite a few tears on March 12th when we had to cancel the parade, (yet again), after planning and preparing for a year. Today, however, we are ALL SMILES! Thanks to our generous sponsors, participants, wonderful volunteers, and behind the scenes supporters, we were able to give CCETN $20,000! THAT is what is all about
Our sincere thanks goes out to Summit Media, Knoxville local radio stations, Star 102.1, 100.3 The Wolf, Hot 104.5 and Awesome 93.1 FM. Tune in and give them a listen!
