7 Cities That Go All Out for St. Patrick’s Day
You might still be recovering from your St. Patrick’s Day parties this weekend, but we’ve got the low down on the 7 top cities that put all others to shame.
New York, NY New Yorkers have been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a parade for more than 250 years. Every year between 150,000 and 200,000 people march in the parade, let alone watch the parade. About two million people are expected to show up to watch the marchers hike up Fifth Avenue this year.
Boston, MA Ireland is well-represented in the United States, but the northeastern part of the country seems to be the most Irish, so it would be fitting for Boston to have the first St. Patrick’s Day observance in 1737. According to parade organizers, they now hold the second largest parade in the country with as many as a million spectators every year.
Chicago, IL In Chicago, to honor the Irish, the Chicago River is dyed green. If you’ve never been to Chi-town, the river weaves through the center of downtown, so on St. Patrick’s Day, if you look up, you’ll see skyscrapers and if you look down, you’ll see green water – or green ice, if this winter never ends.
Off the Beaten Path
Columbia, SC Though it’s only been on the parade calendar for 32 years, in Columbia, SC about 40,000 people show up at the city’s Five Points to celebrate all things Irish. It might not be as big as New York or Boston’s parades, but it’s one of the biggest Irish celebrations in the southeast.
Savannah, GA In Georgia’s oldest city, the fountains will run green in honor of the Irish. It’s not just a day of festivities – it’s an entire week of festivities that started March 10th, and it has been compared to a small Mardi Gras. 500,000 people are expected to attend the party. The city has been celebrating the holiday for almost 200 years.
Unusual Celebrations
New London, WI
Every March in the Cheese State, leprechauns change the name of New London, WI to New Dublin and its population expands from 7,000 to about 30,000 to celebrate St. Patty’s Day. While that’s only a fraction of what the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York attracts, things do get a little crazy for an entire week of celebrating the Irish.
Hot Springs, AK
The town of Hot Springs, AK boasts of hosting the World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade route is 98 feet long – this year Duck Dynasty’s Mountain Man will kick off the parade and actor Jim Belushi will lead it. This March 17th marks the parade’s eleventh year and organizers expect to attract about 30,000 revelers. Hot Springs is also home to the Arkansas Blarney Stone.
