Vintage
Sunday
Parade
The centre-piece of Birr Vintage Week & Arts Festival, it is always a very special day for the town..
Our next Vintage Sunday Parade will be on Sunday 4 August 2024. So, get planning now if you would like to be part of!
Contact our Parade Coordinator on birrvintageweekparade@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Sunday 4 August | 3pm
Contact vintageweekevents@gmail.com
About the 2024 Parade
In 2024, we will be inviting local people to lead the way including for our Opening Address, Parade Grand Marshalls and to perform the National Anthem. ,
Like last year, we will continue to expand the Parade with another brand-new Community Participation project.
We will also be calling on the community for other entries including vintage cars, floats etc.
More announcements on these coming soon!
CHANGE TO ROUTE
IMPORTANT
In 2024, the route for the Parade on 4 August will be changing.
The new route will now turn left at Emmet Square and proceed across Green Street and finish as normal at the Marian Hall.
This means the parade will no longer include Emmet Street.
The change to the route is due to a large increase in costs for the compulsory professionally-delivered traffic management system required for the running of the Parade.
Chair of Birr Vintage Week & Arts Festival,
Caroline Conway:
“We understand this will be disappointing news, especially for residents of Emmet Street. In recent years, we have been legally required to have a professional traffic management system in place for the Parade. In the past, it was possible to man the diversions needed thanks to our wonderful team of volunteers, but this is no longer possible.”
“Due to the huge costs associated with a professional traffic management system, we need to make this change to the route to ensure we can continue to deliver one of the festival highlights every year moving forward. We kindly ask members of the public to line the new route from the Bank of Ireland in Emmet Square, right around onto Green Street and finishing at Memory Lane Antiques.”
PARADE MC
Emma Nee Haslam
Emma Nee Haslam became a member of the Vintage Week family as vice-chair from 1994 to 1996 and continues to be involved at many levels since then including festival secretary for many years, festival chair in 2007 and currently is a member of our board of directors.
Emma has been the Manager at Birr Theatre & Arts Centre for over twenty two years and has extensive experience in event management, running approx. 180 events per year.
During the past twenty years she established, and currently co-produces, both Hullabaloo! Offaly’s Children’s Arts Festival with Offaly County Council and Scripts Ireland’s Playwriting Festival with Jasango Theatre and was a member of the team that established OFFline Film Festival and Birr Festival of Music.
ACCESSIBLE AREA
RETURNING
THIS YEAR
After first introducing it last year, we will have a designated Accessible Area at the Parade in 2024.
It will be located between Emma's Café and Super Valu on the Main Street
.
There will also be a limited number of accessible parking spaces in the Super Valu car park and it's also acting as a Drop-Off point for the Accessible Area.
You will need to reserve both locations in advance.
Registration opening in July 2024.
AFTER THE PARADE
We'll have lots of fun things to do after this year's parade too!
-
Vintage Cars on Display
-
On-street Entertainment
-
Costume Competitions for children and adults
More announcements on these coming soon!
