"St. Patrick's Day / Evacuation Day Parade," South Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the annual parade in South Boston kicked off on the first day of spring to a screaming crowd of thousands as a hailstorm of confetti filled the sky.

There's just something about confetti I like..........in this case, the green, orange, and white are the colors of the Irish flag.



But I am getting ahead of myself. This outing began with a 30-mile drive from home to the Red Line subway station parking garage at the Quincy-Adams station, then a 10-mile ride on the packed train to Broadway in South Boston. The train was standing room only, mostly filled with 20-somethings, drinking nips and beers, vaping cannabis, and generally talking and laughing loudly. Nobody had on masks even though they are still required on public transport. I was the only old man in my train car and I got to sit in the special "reserved for seniors and disabled" seat.  In the image above, arriving at Broadway, the river of humans steadily poured out of the underground right into the starting point of the parade. 

The usual cast of politicians led the show - the Governor, the Mayor of Boston, and other elected types - but the many tens of thousands of spectators were here to see the other participants and partake in the general hoopla - marching bands, floats, swirling flags, dancing troupes, and lots of Irish music.



Nothing like live music regardless the venue.



Especially if the band has bagpipers.



A contingent from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.



Members of the Sheet Metal Workers union ("Tin Men") had great costumes/uniforms.



Police confer with a parade official as they stage the starting line.



A participant passes out green necklace swag.



Miss Boston.



Miss Massachusetts.



Looking back at the starting line as the parade winds down. Crowds were thick on both sides of the route, mostly choking the sidewalks. It was a perfect day for a parade - 60+ degrees F, no wind, no rain, and mostly overcast.

I am already looking forward to next year..........my advice - leave early, expect full and slow subway trains on the Red Line and, expect densely packed human company both on the train and at the parade. Pack lots of patience and tolerance. 

St. Patrick's Day Parade, South Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

The annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in "Southie" was another resounding success and with very cooperating weather this year!

Although the strong breeze made it challenging to get the flag into position at the starting line, blue sky and sunshine made it a spectacular time for participants and spectators alike.



For me, it started at the Braintree end of the Red Line Subway route. There were few riders at that point, but with each successive stop heading north into town, the cars filled to standing room only. It became a good joke among the passengers near me that I was the only "old" person on the train - until finally two women my age also got on. There was much celebration among my new friends when that occurred (perhaps their partying had already begun?) .



By the time we got to the Broadway stop in South Boston, the flood of happy humanity was in full force.



Some folks were all in for the event....



There were big hats........



....and little hats.......



...and no hats (that's the mayor of Boston, Marty Walsh, waving to the crowd).



There were bagpipers.....



....and brass bands....



....and honor guards......

....and even Uncle Sam was there.......



.... and a group of tin men!

By almost any standard, it was a great day to be out and about in the wondrous city of Boston on a sunny winter day to celebrate the long Irish traditions in this fine city. Estimates of more than one million people attended this event.

St. Patrick's Day Parade, South Boston, Massachusetts, USA

The traditional St. Patrick's Day Parade was held yesterday in South Boston under clear and bright blue skies with a chill breeze.  Temperatures hovered in the mid-thirties but that did not dampen the spirits of the many revelers who attended.

Parades are ultimately about people - the opportunity to gather outside, meet old friends, make new friends, watch people behaving and misbehaving, see and be seen, have a few laughs, and maybe support good causes.  The photo above shows the river of humanity streaming out of the Red Line's Andrew subway station before the parade started.  I hear this river of humans continued with each arriving train for the next few hours.

I knew I'd be in for a lot of green today after seeing these women before I even boarded the train.  My strategy was to board at the beginning stop, Braintree, so I could get a seat.  I barely achieved that as thousands of others apparently had the same idea.  Each stop heading into town saw packed platforms and folks cramming into already packed trains.  (It was like an Independence Day celebration except it was cold.)

This was my favorite green feature of the day.

He even bent down to let me get a good top shot.

A few green tutus and many little green hats were spotted.

And a few big green hats, too.

The Sheetmetal Workers Local had a Tinman  in the parade.

Green pants were popular, as were these flyers advertising a local doctor's clinic to get your medical marijuana prescription since it was approved by Massachusetts voters last year.  

More green hair and a reminder to drink responsibly.  Overall, the crowd was younger than I am.  I doubt some took that advice to heart but I left before the serious partying began.

Just about green everything.

I'm not sure what an Irish pirate mixed with clownface means but there he was.

 More green hats.

I didn't seen many green kilts and garters - it was really too cold to bare much flesh, unless.......

.....you were these two women representing PETA.  I am a vegan too, but you won't catch me parading around on a cold winter day in my bathing suit - but these two women were quite popular as they passed by.  Perhaps it helped a few in the crowd think about being vegan and not killing animals for food or pleasure.

Many carried their shot glasses around their necks so they could share a drinking moment with friends.  Of course they were drinking water or soda since drinking alcohol in public is prohibited - yeah, right.

Thousands milling about before the parade began in earnest.

The sidewalks in places eventually became impassable - a good time to stop for a lingering kiss.

Some brought their pets - mostly small.

Some looking rather gruff but happy for a scratch behind the ears.

The Boston Police motorcycle corps led the whole shebang.  They know how to dress for warm.

It was a great day to be out and about among the lively young folks celebrating the patron saint of Ireland. There are more people of Irish descent living elsewhere in the world than in Ireland itself - ten times as many live in the United States as in Ireland. The Boston area has the greatest concentration in the United States.  As they say, "Éirinn go Brách." 

Roof Decks, South Boston, Massachusetts, USA

There are generally only so many ways to finish the top of a house and most people just stick with the basic pointy two-sided roof - not so in "Southie."  With spectacular views available of downtown Boston or the surrounding harbors, roof decks are popular.  Here are a few examples:

Starting with the fancy.....

....to the enclosed room style.......

...to an extra bedroom......

...to adjacent rooms on connected houses.......

....to the open air version.....

......even the simplest style affords a view that goes on forever.

And this silver dude was in someone's front yard pointing towards the nearby roof decks - go figure.