Surfing Leprechauns at St. Patrick's Day Parade

With a little luck, you might just spy a sprite and lively little leprechaun in Hermosa Beach Saturday when the city's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade hits its stride, beginning at 11 a.m.

Sponsored and put on by the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, which took over in 2011 when the city couldn't fund the event, the parade brings a reported 30,000 people to the city.

Attendees can expect to see bagpipers, floats and four-legged friends from the Irish Setters Club of Southern California. Participants are selected for "their uniqueness, appearance and entertainment value," according to the chamber website.

Short-sleeve green T-shirts commemorating the event are available in downtown merchants and at the chamber's office for $15 each. This year's logo is a surfing leprechaun. 

The parade begins near City Hall at 1315 Valley Drive, then turns left onto Pier Avenue where it gives folks a chance to enjoy the fun, and then ends at Hermosa Avenue and 10th Street [the road is blocked at 8th Street].

There is no reserved seating along the parade route; attendees are advised to arrive a tad before start time to get a spot from which to watch the festivities.

There are three stages along the route from which each entrant is announced as they pass by, said Maureen Hunt, HB chamber executive director Thursday.

She said the area that tends to draw the largest crowd is where Pier Avenue hits Pier Plaza.

Participants and spectators are asked not to throw anything. The parade moves at a constant pace and parade officials want everyone to remain safe by staying off the parade route at all times.

• Previously: St. Patrick's Day Parade Set for Saturday
• Previously: A Wee Bit of a Parade in Hermosa