HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK, AK--(Marketwired - Jan 15, 2016) - The 2016 World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade will host a variety of celebrities and special guests for the parade and after-party in downtown Hot Springs on March 17. Now in its 13th year, this fun and family-friendly parade will proceed down Bridge Street, the world's shortest street at only 98 feet long.
The Bacon Brothers -- Kevin and Michael Bacon -- will take the throne as this year's Celebrity Grand Marshals. Award-winning actor Kevin and his older brother Michael, an acclaimed musician and composer, are fixtures of the entertainment industry and have worked together on several musical projects. They will perform a post-parade concert as The Bacon Brothers.
Actor Gary Busey will also join in the fun as Official Starter of the parade, and mascot Lucky the Leprechaun will be spreading cheer to all attendees. A quartet of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will grace the parade with dazzling dance moves.
The Parade begins at 6:30 p.m., following the ceremonial measuring of the parade route. This year, the parade will include The World's Largest Leprechaun, Irish Elvis impersonators, belly dancers, green Irish wolfhounds, and bagpipe players, along with a procession of wacky floats, motorcycles and classic cars.
In addition to the parade, the event features St. Patrick's Day traditions such as the annual "Romancing the Stone" contest, offering a cash prize to whoever plants the best kiss on the Blarney Stone.
The first World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade was held on March 17, 2004 after Hot Springs locals decided that a St. Patrick's Day parade down Bridge Street, the World's Shortest Street in Everyday Use, would be perfect way to bring more visitors to Hot Springs. The first parade attracted a few thousand people, and since then the parade has become one of the most popular St. Patrick's Day traditions in Arkansas, drawing more than 30,000 people each year.
The parade is sponsored by Visit Hot Springs and is governed by a volunteer board of various Hot Springs business owners and community leaders. For more information, visit www.shorteststpats.com.
