Boston’s favorite holiday celebration is back!
After two long, parade-less years, the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston is finally making its return in 2022. This year, the parade will be held on Sunday, March 20th starting at 1 PM.
Boston and St. Patrick’s Day go together like peanut butter and jelly – or a pint of beer and corned beef. Not only is a significant portion of Boston’s population from Ireland, but our city was also the first American city to celebrate the holiday 285 years ago.
On top of that, March 17th is also Evacuation Day, an official Boston holiday. This date commemorates when the Siege of Boston by the British ended in 1776.
In years past, the massive St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston has attracted up to one million spectators, but it has not been held since 2019 due to the pandemic. This year, the parade will be slightly shorter to adapt to new safety measures. This shorter route has been used in the past in circumstances of inclement weather.
The new parade route will start at the Broadway T Station and will continue down the entirety of Broadway, finally concluding at Farragut Road. Check out the map below for a visual reference.
As for the parade itself: expect bagpipes, brass marching bands, floats, military units, dancers, historic Minutemen companies, politicians, entertainers, individual marchers, societies, and much more! There will also be music provided by Dalton & The Sheriffs.
Restaurants are sure to packed all along the parade route, but here are our recommendations for the day:
- Publico Street Bistro: cozy sit-down bar and restuarant known for their excellent brunches (but it’s sure to be packed on St. Patty’s Day!)
- American Provisions: one of the best sandwich shops in Boston, this is a great spot for a bite to eat on-the-go.
- Broadway’s Best Pizza & Olympic House of Pizza: if you’re drinking on St. Patty’s day (and it’s likely you will be), grab a slices to fuel your partying
[featured image: Maia Kennedy Photography]