St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be last one that is not cut short by Mayor Bloomberg (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Fifth Ave. from 44th to 86th Sts.
Wednesday, March 17, free, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
www.saintpatricksdayparade.com
While there should be all sorts of pomp and circumstance for next year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which will be celebrating its 250th anniversary, don’t sell this year’s party short. Hundreds of marching bands, pipers, step dancers, and police and fire departments from all over the city and the country will be descending on Midtown Manhattan for this annual rite of passage, so loathed by many New Yorkers for the drunken craziness and green puke that often comes with it. Well, with Police Commissioner Ray Kelly as this year’s grand marshal, the NYPD has promised to clamp down on public drinking, so hide those forties well. The parade will also be the last major one to be able to run all afternoon, through about 5:00, as Mayor Bloomberg’s shortening of parades begins next month.
Of course, New York City will be bustling with special St. Patrick’s Day events in addition to fife and drum bands making their way through Irish pubs across the city. The official After Parade Pub Crawl will begin at the Yard, Black 47 will be at B. B. King’s, the Chieftains are playing Town Hall, Rory Sullivan is at Googie’s Lounge, an 1855 St. Patrick’s Day Celebration will take place at the Merchant’s House Museum, and Sean Donnelly will host “Irish Eyes Are Laughing” at Comix with Patrice Oneal, Andrew Maxwell, and other comedians, among other green partying.