What you need to know ahead of Pittsburgh's St. Patrick's Day parade, celebrations

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Police said they are ready for this weekend's St. Patrick's Day festivities.

In preparation for the celebrations, officials issued some reminders to help city residents and visitors to celebrate responsibly.

>>RELATED: Pittsburgh ranks in top 10 for St. Patrick's Day celebrations

ST. PATRICK'S PARADE

Pittsburgh's St. Patrick's Day Parade is the second-largest in the United States with more than 23,000 participants. The parade begins at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Liberty and 11th Streets and marches down Grant Street to the Boulevard of the Allies where it will turn right. The parade continues down the Boulevard to Stanwix Street.

MARKET SQUARE CELEBRATION

In addition to the parade, The Irish Society for Education & Charity, Inc. will host a family-friendly celebration at Market Square. The event will be open from 10 a.m. run until 2 p.m. Containers of alcohol are prohibited unless they are sold by establishments at Market Square.

PITTSBURGH POLICE PLAN

Pittsburgh police will be out targeting anyone who is driving under the influence. Police remind people to never get into the car with a driver who is intoxicated and urge people to use discounted Lyft, Uber and Z-Trip fares.

Pittsburgh police also want to remind pedestrians to wear light-colored clothing, so drivers can see you.

Police from several agencies, including the Mounted Unit, will be in full force to prevent and stop illegal activities.  Those who violate the law will be cited or arrested.

In response to the mosque attacks in New Zealand, a spokesperson for the police department said, "Providing security to any event includes monitoring current world incidents and intelligence. If necessary, certain changes and modifications may be made, which we don't discuss."

Pittsburgh Police cars in Zone 2 will display special St. Patrick's Day decals to commemorate the celebration.

ROAD CLOSURES

Road in and around the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade will start closing at 7:30 a.m. Road closures include Liberty Avenue, Grant Street, Boulevard of the Allies and Stanwix Street. The parade steps off at 10 a.m. Streets will reopen at 1 p.m.

PORT AUTHORITY IMPACT

Nearly 50 Port Authority bus routes will be detoured.

Buses that operate on Boulevard of the Allies (Routes 56, 57, 58, and 67) will begin detouring at 7 a.m. for parade assembly. Buses that operate in the Strip District (Routes 54, 86, 87, 88, and 91) will begin detouring about a half hour later, at 7:30 a.m., for parade staging.

All other bus routes will begin detouring about 9 a.m., with most routes resuming regular service soon after the streets are reopened after the parade. Click here for a full list of bus routes that will be detoured.

A free rail shuttle between Steel Plaza and Penn Station on the East busway will run from 8 a.m. until streets are opened.

Cox Media Group