Citizens traveling downtown Wednesday afternoon/evening should plan ahead for road closures

The Baltimore City Department of Transportation would like to advise motorists of the road closures and parking restrictions in effect for the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine parade which will be held on Wednesday, August 21, 2019 starting at 6:30 p.m. 

The parade will begin at the intersection of Market Place and Pratt Street. Participants will proceed west on Pratt Street to finish at the intersection of Sharp Street, and the parade is expected to last about three hours.

Workers and visitors to downtown Baltimore should plan ahead for the parade and the associated road closures.  The closures will have a significant impact on downtown traffic starting at 5:00 p.m. and will extend into the evening.

In preparation for the event, the following downtown streets will be closed on Wednesday, August 21, 2019 with detours in effect:

• Pratt Street between Gay and President Streets – closes at 5:00 p.m. (bus lane will remain open until parade kickoff)
• Market Place between Water and Pratt Streets – closes at 5:00 p.m.
• Pratt Street between Howard and Gay Streets – closes at 6:00 p.m.
• Hopkins Place/Sharp Street between Lombard and Conway Streets – closes at 6:00 p.m.
• North side (left lane) of Pratt Street between Charles and Light Streets – closes at 9:00 a.m.

In addition, the following parking restrictions will be implemented on Wednesday, August 21, 2019 from 3:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.:

• Market Place between Lombard and Pratt Streets
• Hopkins Place/Sharp Street between Lombard and Conway Streets

Recommendations for citizens traveling in the downtown area Wednesday afternoon:

• Stay downtown and watch the parade – The parade will feature a large number of colorful vehicles.  Traffic congestion levels will ease as the parade finishes.
• Leave early – Downtown workers should consider leaving earlier than normal, prior to the road closures.
• Orioles Game – In addition to the parade, the Baltimore Orioles will host the Kansas City Royals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards beginning at 7:05 p.m.  Fans attending the game are encouraged to utilize mass transit, even if they routinely drive to the ballpark.  The MDOT MTA’s Light RailLink Service is now fully operational and a great way to get to the ball game.

###