Rainy skies cleared to a beautiful sunny day on Sunday for parade-goers and go they did! Record-breaking crowds lined the streets of South Boston, with over 1 million people in attendance! Wowza! According to NBC10 Boston, at least 11 people were arrested, and a group was caught on camera vandalizing a light pole during Sunday’s festivities.
The parade organizers brought their A-Game this year with the addition of lots more marching bands, pipes + drums, live bands, and family-friendly groups!
Here are some parade day snippets witnessed or reported to CIS.
Former Mayor of Boston Ray Flynn and his wife Cathy had a sweet ride!
image via South Boston Online
It was Nana Ellie’s 97th Parade!
Read more about her celebration here.
House Parties
There were house parties galore in the neighborhood – some of them packed like sardines
Crazy kids on roofs
As a mom, this made my stomach flip. Image via Boston Globe
Fist Fights
Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day – and with that in mind – maybe the whole Fighting Irish stereotype was taken literally on Sunday. We personally witness a group of ten drunk 18-20-year-olds brawling near M Street Park. BPD broke up a number of donnybrooks around the neighborhood post-parade.
Dogs wearing costumes
Even the dogs in Southie were getting into the St. Patrick’s spirit! Image via Woofpack on Instagram
Lots of people not from Southie were in attendance
BPD out in Full Force
The Boston police were out in full force on Sunday – with several uniformed officers along the parade route. Also, a large team of BPD on bicycles cleared out a “festival amount” of teens and young adults whooping it up at M Street Park.
Walgreen’s Parking Lot is a disaster
What was your favorite moment or any craziness that you witnessed? Let us know in the comments below! Or tag us in your photos!
Maureen Dahill is the editor of Caught in Southie and a lifelong resident of South Boston sometimes mistaken for a yuppie. Co-host of Caught Up, storyteller, lover of red wine and binge watching TV series. Mrs. Peter G. Follow her @MaureenCaught.
Great work by the organizers. Several very good live bands on flatbeds, as well as the excellent military and other marching bands. Too many “floats” which were nothing more than a bunch of drunks blasting over-amplified recorded music. Limit trailer size next year to reduce cornering delays and potential injury. Zero trouble and a great vibe on Telegraph. Thanks to BPD for low key but substantial presence.
The Grand Marshal disappeared causing a long delay by the Vietnam Memorial. Huge gap in the parade. Drunken morons continue to urinate all over South Boston homes. Either the city puts out more portable potties or someone is going to get seriously hurt for trespassing. It’s not a joke any more. Great to see Ray & Kathy honored in the parade. Thank god we have Stevie Lynch as our Congressman! Good job in your coverage Maureen.
…the thought of outsiders taking “our” day away from us. Oh, absolutely not. That being said…it’s a shite-show. I would propose that we have “our “ parade on the actual day, March 17th, and we “residents” can take the day off and ….proceed accordingly. Surely the mayor would be ok with giving “our” kids the day off from school, no? She seems fine with “different rules for different kids”. And if the “million” annual visitors /interlopers have any sort of a life, they’ll have to go to work or to school or whatever the hell it is that they do when they’re not treating “our “ neighborhood like a sidewalk in San Francisco.
But hand over “our” most beloved, “our” highest and holiest of holidays? Because of some jerks who don’t know how to “act like they’ve been here before”?
Nah.