Hermosa Beach St Patrick’s day parade [MORE PHOTOS]

The 19th Annual Hermosa Beach St. Patrick’s Day Parade attracted an estimated 30,000 people on Saturday to watch the 90 parade floats traverse the three-quarters mile route, starting at Pier Avenue and Valley Drive and finishing at 8th Street and Hermosa Avenue. It was the usual sea of green downtown, only a bit larger.

“Some of the long-time participants said it was the most they have ever seen at the parade,” said Matt Bennett, communications and special events coordinator for the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau.

“I think people think that you come line up that day, go down the street and that’s it,” said Bennett. “It actually takes a lot of planning, starting about in December getting everything organized… There’s a lot of coordination with it that people do not realized and sort of take for granted.”

The groups in the parade included the Hermosa Beach Youth Music, Family Theater and the Boy and Girl Scouts and local dignitaries, waved to the crowds while greeting both friends and neighbors.

The parade, which has become a staple of the community’s yearly events, brought people to Hermosa Beach from all of the neighboring communities, Bennett said.

“It means something to everybody,” said Bennett. “To some it’s about hanging by the pier, to other’s it’s about watching their kids in the parade or being in it themselves. Overall, the focus is it being a nice, fun event they’ll remember.”

Bennett said that the chamber doesn’t expect the parade to grow and be like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, or the Pasadena Rose Bowl Parade, but instead they want to keep it local.

“It gives everyone in town a chance to have their group recognized,” said Bennett. “I really want to thank everybody in town for making it such a nice day for everyone.” ER