South Boston tries to tame its rowdy St. Patrick's Day parade
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The 2023 parade. Photo: Joseph Prezioso/Getty Images.
Boston officials want the annual South Boston St. Patrick's Day parade to be a family affair and are implementing stricter security for Sunday's festivities following last year's particularly debauched celebration.
- Organizers promise an earlier start time and a crackdown on public drinking.
Why it matters: The parade draws up to a million visitors to the route stretched across South Boston.
- Last year's event was marred in the eyes of some neighbors for excessive public drinking, violence and overcrowding.
Zoom in: The crowd's behavior at last year's parade was over the line, according to a letter signed by U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, City Councilor Ed Flynn, state Sen. Nick Collins and state Rep. David Biele.
- Last year's lowlights included public drinking, people on rooftops, thrown beer cans, more than the usual amount of public urination and assaults that went viral on social media.
Catch up quick: This year's parade begins at 11:30am, 90 minutes earlier than the traditional start time.
- It's expected to be an abbreviated parade, wrapping up by 2pm instead of around 4pm.
- Officials say alcohol laws will be strictly enforced with a "zero tolerance" approach to the public drinking that is common on Southie's streets during the parade.
Bars in the neighborhood must stop admitting patrons at 6:30pm and end alcohol service by 7pm Sunday.
- All patrons must exit bars by 7:30pm.
- Package stores will close at 4pm.
- Towing begins at 3am, two hours earlier than last year.
Between the lines: Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox emphasized this week that the parade "is a family-friendly event" and warned that underage parade-goers should be accompanied by adults.
- "This is not a drinking fest," he said.
What they're saying: "Boston's a wonderful city. This is a tradition in our city for a very long period of time and we'd like to keep it a very nice tradition," Cox said.
The big picture: The parade commemorates St. Patrick's Day and Evacuation Day, when British troops left Boston in 1776.