The St. Patrick's Day festivities are underway in Boston as thousands prepare for a celebration and the annual parade.
The festivities start with a Saint Patrick’s Day Breakfast from 9:30 to noon at the Ironworkers Local 7 Hall, featuring guests including Senator Elizabeth Warren, Governor Maura Healey, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. Senator Nick Collins is hosting.
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Then the historic parade gets underway at 1 p.m. this afternoon, starting at the T Station on Broadway.
Boston was the first to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day in North America. It all started nearly 300 years ago, on March 17, 1737, in a show of solidarity for the city’s then-new Irish immigrants. In 1901, the parade moved to South Boston to commemorate the evacuation of British troops in 1776.
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The event has drawn huge crowds ever since, with nearly a million people celebrating last year and vendors have already been out selling their merch on the streets of Southie this week.
Bar owners are also gearing up for a rowdy afternoon, including the L Street Tavern, which officially changed hands last week. Long-time bartender Marc Medico bought the Irish pub with his brother. He says the staff will be keeping a close eye on the number of people in the bar and the number of drinks they’re consuming:
“We have door men on the door to make sure they’re checking people for sobriety IDs things like that and the bartenders have all been trained to not over serve customers. We do try to be safe. The town is a little crazy because people are drinking all over the town out in the streets.”
Officials are encouraging people to take public transportation into the city for the parade. There will be added transportation service and added police presence for security.
