The annual pre-parade fundraiser for the South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade drew a spirited crowd eager to toast the start of parade season.

Held on Feb. 21 at 115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park, the event kicked off the festivities with live Irish music, a delicious buffet, flowing refreshments and one of the night’s most anticipated traditions—the crowning of the new parade queen.

Erin Larkin, 27, was selected from six candidates to serve as the 2026 parade queen, a dream come true for the Mt. Greenwood native.

“I ran nine years ago when I was 18, and they told me to come back when I was older,” she said. “This is the last year I could run because I’m engaged and I’ll be married next year, so here I am.”

To be eligible as queen, a woman must be at least 21 years old, no older than 30 and never been married, which made this year Larkin’s final opportunity before her New Year’s Eve wedding.

“I’m so excited to kick off this year; this is going to be the most exciting parade year for me,” she said. “I’ve always loved the parade. Even my college roommate and my fiance, who are not from the South Side, know that the parade day is one of my favorite holidays.”

Irish traditions run deep for the Larkin Family. Her father and uncles perform as the Larkin and Moran Brothers band, which had just finished playing at the fundraiser moments before her name was announced.

“I grew up around the music; it’s a very big part of my identity, and I’ve always come back to the South Side,” she said. “I’ve traveled the world. I’ve seen everything I need to see, and I always come back.”

Larkin attended St. Christina Elementary School in Mt. Greenwood and graduated from Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School in 2017. She went on to Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., and earned a master’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University. She now works as a children’s therapist.

The oldest daughter of Mike and Jean Larkin, she has three siblings, Mickey, Conor and Brigid.

A profile of Larkin will be published in the South Side Irish Parade Guide in the March 11 issue of The Beverly Review.

The 48th annual South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade will step off on Sunday, March 15, at noon from 103rd Street and Western Avenue. It was founded in 1979 by the late Pat Coakley and the late George Hendry, and it has reportedly grown into the largest St. Patrick’s Day community-based parade outside Dublin, Ireland.

This year’s parade grand marshal is the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a national nonprofit that provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children.

The community honoree is the parish of St. Christina Roman Catholic Church, celebrating 100 years in Mt. Greenwood. Its pastor, the Rev. Ryan Brady, also serves as chaplain of the Chicago Fire Department.

The parade is operated by the South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Heritage Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. More than 100 volunteers work year-round to ensure the family-friendly celebration continues for generations to come.

For more information about the parade, visit southsideirishparade.org.