The Sunday following St. Patrick’s Day is one of our favorite traditions here at Devonshire. Our city’s massive St. Patrick’s Day Parade will attract a million or more spectators, including several of our residents. Annually, marchers follow a traditional 3.5 mile long route, passing by plenty of folks dressed in green. With Irish cheer that is plentiful, crack open a Guinness and let’s take a look at our favorite March festivity!

Origins 

Boston’s St Patrick’s Day Parade dates back to March 17th, 1737. On this date, our city’s Irish immigrants inaugurated the celebration as a way to celebrate their new home, while also paying respect to the Patron Saint of Ireland. After all, we were the first in the nation to commemorate the holiday! In 1901, Evacuation Day was declared a national holiday in our city. Because of this, the parade festivities began!

Traditions 

Obviously, our city’s Irish bars overflow with fiddling, step-dancing, and a ton of Guinness. Events include the Irish Heritage Trail and the Irish Film Festival — both fascinating events for those who want to learn a little more about the history of Irish culture locally. There remains a military celebration aspect to acknowledge Evacuation Day; soldiers don predominantly Revolutionary War attire to pay tribute to our roots.

Happenings 

This year, the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council will host the parade. The gathering will transpire at Broadway Station and culminate at Andrew Square. Colorful floats, music, and good Irish cheer will abound. Expect to hear plenty of marching and pipe bands. After the parade, if you want to keep the party going, there are plenty of bar crawling events and specially themed Day Cruise Parties that sail through the green river.