Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana will be the grand marshal of the 2024 South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

The grand marshal was announced Wednesday against a backdrop of live bagpipe music at the Smith Village Community Room. The Smith Village retirement community is the parade’s honoree.

The 46th annual parade begins at noon March 17 at 103rd Street and Western Avenue. The parade will make its way through the Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods, ending at 115th Street and Western Avenue.

The first Ronald McDonald House in Chicago opened in 1977. The organization now operates six Ronald McDonald Houses and four Ronald McDonald Family Rooms across the Chicago area. The organization has helped more than 150,000 families whose children were undergoing treatment at nearby facilities. It also operates the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program, which provides vaccinations, food, medical treatment and more to children in underserved areas. 

“We are inspired to have them lead our annual march down Western Avenue sharing the needs of so many families they serve,” parade committee chair Marianne Rowan Leslie said in the release.

In honor of the parade, Ronald McDonald House Charities is selling “Get Shamrock’d” yard sign kits for $125. 

The Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade will step off at 12:15 p.m. Saturday, March 16, from Columbus Drive and Balbo Street. The parade is sponsored by Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local 130 UA. The grand marshal is Peter O’Brien Sr., president and CEO of MADO Management.