NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – The luck of the Irish was not on the side of some folks excited about this weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in Norfolk.

As in years past, parade goers got a jump start on staking their location along the parade route. Days ahead of the parade, people began parking in the median along Granby Street to reserve their spots.

10 On Your Side heard from several viewers upset to find that their vehicle had been ticketed, when in the past they said they were allowed to park in the median. We reached out to city officials to ask if there had been a change this year. It’s been several years since the parade last ran, due to the pandemic and weather.

Friday afternoon, City Manager Chip Filer issued a statement admitting it was a mistake.

“We are excited the Ocean View St. Patrick’s Day Parade is back this year after a long hiatus. After three years, City staff are a bit rusty at remembering the parade’s annual traditions. As a result, staff mistakenly ticketed cars that were parked in medians along the parade route. I apologize to those that were ticketed over this matter. Rest assured we will correct this error. Please hang onto your ticket and we will provide further instruction on next steps in the near future. I hope everyone enjoys the resumption of this wonderful annual tradition.”

Norfolk City Manager Chip Filer
Norfolk parade goers line up their vehicles in the median along Granby Street days ahead of the March 18, 2023 St. Patrick’s Day parade. (WAVY Photo / Jane Alvarez-Wertz)

During an interview in WAVY’s Digital Studio Thursday, Peter Decker, III, an emcee for the event, talked about how historically people start lining up early for the perfect spot.

“People get there early. Cars started staking out their spots a couple days ago. If you go down Granby Street, towards Ocean View, you’ll see people already got their chairs, their cars out there and they’re staking out their spots,” Decker said.

The parade begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 18, starting from Northside Middle School at the corner of Granby Street and Westmont Avenue.

Get all the details on this year’s Ocean View St. Patrick’s Day parade, including information on the parade route, road closures, the parade after party and more, at this link.