Every March in Boston, thousands gather for one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the country. The spectacle in South Boston features unique floats, bagpipers, superheroes, Mayor Michelle Wu’s appearance and lots of college students day drinking. The celebration of Irish heritage has become a community tradition showcasing the city’s pride.
Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration can be traced back to 1737, when the Charitable Irish Society held a dinner to honor the Irish homeland and worship God. Significantly less of a spectacle, these early celebrations focused on solidarity and survival as the Irish community dealt with extreme prejudice, discrimination and economic hardship.
In the 1800s, Boston held its first St. Patrick’s Day parade as the Irish community pushed for more visibility throughout the Great Famine, when nearly 2 million Irish individuals immigrated to the U.S. due to the failure of potato crops.
In 1901, South Boston hosted the first parade, and it has remained there for over a century.
“Southie in Boston has a very big Irish community, which I can relate to because my mom’s side of the family has that same Irish pride, Irish spirit. So seeing everyone around, waving the flag, celebrating, having a good time celebrating this great holiday — I love it,” said Jake Zocco, a second-year computer science and business administration combined major at Northeastern.
Culturally, the parade serves as an expression of Irish American identity, reflecting the community’s heritage and resilience. It has become much more than an ethnic gathering, as politicians, community leaders and cultural organizations from across the city now show up to support and celebrate, including retired Navy Lt. Commander Alanna Devlin Ball as this year’s chief marshal of the parade.
For college students in particular, the parade is highly anticipated; many decorate themselves in green outfits head to toe and bring borgs (mixed alcoholic drinks, typically served in a gallon jug). However, some Bostonians, including the city’s leaders, have pushed for public safety measures to address challenges that accompany the parade festivities, which many say have gone too far in recent years.
“If you plan to attend the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, we remind you that unlawful behavior will not be tolerated: public drinking is illegal at any age,” said Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox in a March 6 letter to Boston-area college and university students.
This year, the Boston Police Department, or BPD, cracked down on binge drinking by confiscating parade-goers’ borgs. Tanay Shah, a second-year mathematics and data science combined major at Northeastern, said he had his borg taken by BPD. “I heard they were trying to crack down on [borgs] this year because last year people f***** up this whole area [East Street and West Broadway],” he said.
A critical component of the parade is its ability to bring generations together; drunk college students roam the streets alongside families and seniors. Intoxicated college students in close proximity to children could be concerning, but some argue there is a healthy balance to be struck.
“Drunk people need to be mindful of the children, and parents need to be mindful of drunk people,” said Abigail Lussier, a third-year computer science and philosophy combined major at Northeastern. “So long as both parties are mindful and aware that both are going to be there, we can coexist together.”
For Boston’s 250,000 college students, the St. Patrick’s Day parade is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With schools like Northeastern, Boston University, Emerson College and Harvard University close by, the parade route is packed with students. While some appreciate the gathering for its cultural significance, others take the event primarily as an excuse to party.
The parade celebrated both the traditional and the contemporary, featuring colonial costumes and the musical stylings of Dropkick Murphys, highlighting the diversity of the Irish community. Regardless of their motive for attending the parade, attendees’ energy remained steady and strong. From families teaching their children about their roots to college students using the day as a social escape, the parade reflects Boston at its core: proud, diverse, chaotic and always green.
