St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations in Full Swing: Boston Gears Up for Annual Parade and Festivities

The St. Patrick’s Day festivities are underway in Boston as thousands of people gear up for the annual celebration and parade.

The festivities kick off with a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast from 9:30 am to noon at the Ironworkers Local 7 Hall, featuring guests like Senator Elizabeth Warren, Governor Maura Healey, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. Senator Nick Collins will be hosting the event.

Then, at 1 p.m., the historic parade begins, starting at the Broadway T station.

Boston was the first to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in North America. It all began nearly 300 years ago, on March 17, 1737, as a show of solidarity with the city’s then-new Irish immigrants. In 1901, the parade moved to South Boston to commemorate the evacuation of British troops in 1776.

The event has drawn large crowds ever since, with nearly a million people celebrating last year, and vendors have been selling their wares on the streets of Southie this week.

Bar owners are also gearing up for a lively afternoon, including the L Street Tavern, which officially changed ownership last week. Marc Medico bought this Irish pub with his brother and says the staff will closely monitor the number of people in the bar and the amount of drinks they consume:

“We have bouncers to make sure they’re checking people for sobriety IDs and things like that, and all the bartenders have been trained not to over-serve customers. We try to be safe. The town is a bit crazy because people are drinking everywhere on the streets.”

Authorities are encouraging people to take public transportation into the city for the parade. Additional shuttle service and extra police presence will be added for safety.