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Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
St. Patrick's Day parade celebrates Boston heritage in America's most Irish big city
Throngs of green-clad, shamrock-festooned revelers filled the streets of America's most Irish big city on Sunday for the South Boston St. Patrick's Day parade. Green, white and orange confetti -- the national colors of the Emerald Isle -- rained down along parts of the 3.5-mile (5.6-kilometer) route. Parade floats and marchers wound through the neighborhood of South Boston, a center of Irish-American heritage in a city where more than 1 in every 5 people are of Irish descent. Camryn Craddock was among those along the parade route, which included parts of Broadway, the neighborhood's thoroughfare. 'I just like the energy that everyone brings. Everyone's really hyped up. It's not boring,' the Massachusetts resident said. 'I didn't even really see much of the parade, but just seeing everyone having fun was really nice and everything.' Travis Wilshire, another reveler, agreed. 'Last time I was here, I was just a little kid,' the New Hampshire resident said. 'So it's definitely cool to see it, like, in a different age group, you know what I mean?' Spectators packed behind metal barricades playfully hissed as colonial reenactors wearing British tricorn hats and other period garb marched past on the warm but overcast day. The parade, which dates to the turn of the 20th century, marks both St. Patrick's Day and Evacuation Day, which commemorates the day in 1776 when British troops left Boston after a protracted siege during the Revolutionary War. Parade-goer Alex Brough found people mostly behaved after violence and public intoxication marred last year 's festivities. Parade organizers moved up the start of the festivities and neighborhood leaders warned of 'zero tolerance' for rowdiness and shenanigans ahead of Sunday. Before the parade, transit police posted a photo on social media showing a pile of clear garbage bags filled with confiscated booze, including gallon-sized jugs filled with green liquid. 'There is probably a lot of alcohol consumed today,' the Bedford, Massachusetts, resident conceded. 'We witnessed it, but I think still people were overall behaving rather well, considered.' The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council organizes the parade and this year's chief marshal was retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Alanna Devlin Ball, who grew up in the neighborhood and represented the U.S. at the 2023 Invictus Games in Germany where she took home gold in powerlifting. 'Lt. Cdr. Devlin Ball's 12 years career in the Navy serves as an inspiration to young women who seek to serve in today's military. We are grateful for her service, sacrifice and power of example,' said U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, a South Boston native. The South Boston parade has been a source of political controversy in years past. The veterans council banned gay rights groups from marching in the parade up until a decade ago and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upheld that right in the 1990s. Two gay and lesbian groups joined the parade in 2015. Organizers for one of the groups, Boston Pride, heralded the move as a point of progress at the time. Chicago held its St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday. Philadelphia also celebrated on Sunday and New York City holds its parade Monday. ___ Associated Press reporters Patrick Whittle in Portland and Philip Marcelo in New York contributed. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
CBS News
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Boston's St. Patrick's Day parade a crowded, but more peaceful celebration this year
Boston's St. Patrick's Day parade marched through Southie Sunday with no major issues or incidents, compared to a year ago. Thousands of people lined the parade route as the annual procession started earlier than usual this year, at 11:30 a.m. instead of 1 p.m. to make the parade more family-friendly. Last year, ten people were arrested. What does borg mean? Boston Police said they did seize some alcohol from people who were under age or drinking in public. Officers showed off several " borgs" that were taken away in a post on social media. Borg is short for "blackout rage gallon" and is said to be popular with college students. Transit Police also seized several borgs, according to a photo the agency posted online. There's no word yet on how many people were arrested, if any, at this year's parade. Officers Working the St. Patrick's Day Parade Seized Alcohol Due to Underage and Public Drinking — Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) March 16, 2025 "We thank the vast majority of those celebrating today for doing so in a safe and appropriate way. We continue to ask those attending or out celebrating in our City to refrain from unlawful behavior and to respect the neighborhoods where you are celebrating," police said in a statement Sunday. The 3.5 mile parade is organized by the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council. "It's all about the friends, the family, having fun, just having a great time, all about the positive attitude in Boston," said one spectator. "It's so wild. You can't match the spirit in Boston. It's so much fun" another spectator said. Boston fire Boston's parade was not affected by a fire at a construction waste recycling center a few miles away in Roxbury Sunday. Smoke could be detected in several parts of the city, but the fire commissioner said they were keeping an eye on the air quality at the site.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Patrick's Day parade celebrates Boston heritage in America's most Irish big city
It's that time of year again when more than a million green-clad revelers fill the streets of America's most Irish big city for the South Boston St. Patrick's Day parade, celebrating the heritage and contributions of all those who hail from the Emerald Isle. Sunday's parade dates back to the turn of the 20th century and marks both St. Patrick's Day and Evacuation Day, which commemorates the day in 1776 when British troops left Boston after a protracted siege during the Revolutionary War. The 3.5-mile (5.6-kilometer) parade rolls through the neighborhood South Boston, a center of Irish-American heritage in a city where more than 1 in every 5 people are of Irish descent. The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council organizes the parade and this year's chief marshal is retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Alanna Devlin Ball, who grew up in the neighborhood and represented the U.S. at the 2023 Invictus Games in Germany where she took home gold in powerlifting. 'Lt. Cdr. Devlin Ball's 12 years career in the Navy serves as an inspiration to young women who seek to serve in today's military. We are grateful for her service, sacrifice and power of example,' said U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, a South Boston native. The parade is scheduled to kick off slightly earlier in the morning than normal. Last year's events were marred by violence and public intoxication that officials say they hope to curb on Sunday. The goal of the parade is 'keeping alive the tradition of honoring heritage and service,' the war veterans council said in a statement. The parade also has been a source of political controversy in years past. The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council banned gay rights groups from marching in the parade up until a decade ago and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upheld that right in the 1990s. Two gay and lesbian groups joined the parade in 2015. Organizers for one of the groups, Boston Pride, heralded the move as a point of progress at the time. Chicago held its St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday. Philadelphia also celebrates on Sunday and New York City holds its parade Monday.
The Independent
16-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
St. Patrick's Day parade celebrates Boston heritage in America's most Irish big city
It's that time of year again when more than a million green-clad revelers fill the streets of America's most Irish big city for the South Boston St. Patrick's Day parade, celebrating the heritage and contributions of all those who hail from the Emerald Isle. Sunday's parade dates back to the turn of the 20th century and marks both St. Patrick's Day and Evacuation Day, which commemorates the day in 1776 when British troops left Boston after a protracted siege during the Revolutionary War. The 3.5-mile (5.6-kilometer) parade rolls through the neighborhood South Boston, a center of Irish- American heritage in a city where more than 1 in every 5 people are of Irish descent. The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council organizes the parade and this year's chief marshal is retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Alanna Devlin Ball, who grew up in the neighborhood and represented the U.S. at the 2023 Invictus Games in Germany where she took home gold in powerlifting. 'Lt. Cdr. Devlin Ball's 12 years career in the Navy serves as an inspiration to young women who seek to serve in today's military. We are grateful for her service, sacrifice and power of example,' said U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, a South Boston native. The parade is scheduled to kick off slightly earlier in the morning than normal. Last year's events were marred by violence and public intoxication that officials say they hope to curb on Sunday. The goal of the parade is 'keeping alive the tradition of honoring heritage and service,' the war veterans council said in a statement. The parade also has been a source of political controversy in years past. The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council banned gay rights groups from marching in the parade up until a decade ago and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upheld that right in the 1990s. Two gay and lesbian groups joined the parade in 2015. Organizers for one of the groups, Boston Pride, heralded the move as a point of progress at the time. Chicago held its St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday. Philadelphia also celebrates on Sunday and New York City holds its parade Monday.
Associated Press
16-03-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
St. Patrick's Day parade celebrates Boston heritage in America's most Irish big city
It's that time of year again when more than a million green-clad revelers fill the streets of America's most Irish big city for the South Boston St. Patrick's Day parade, celebrating the heritage and contributions of all those who hail from the Emerald Isle. Sunday's parade dates back to the turn of the 20th century and marks both St. Patrick's Day and Evacuation Day, which commemorates the day in 1776 when British troops left Boston after a protracted siege during the Revolutionary War. The 3.5-mile (5.6-kilometer) parade rolls through the neighborhood South Boston, a center of Irish-American heritage in a city where more than 1 in every 5 people are of Irish descent. The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council organizes the parade and this year's chief marshal is retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Alanna Devlin Ball, who grew up in the neighborhood and represented the U.S. at the 2023 Invictus Games in Germany where she took home gold in powerlifting. 'Lt. Cdr. Devlin Ball's 12 years career in the Navy serves as an inspiration to young women who seek to serve in today's military. We are grateful for her service, sacrifice and power of example,' said U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, a South Boston native. The parade is scheduled to kick off slightly earlier in the morning than normal. Last year's events were marred by violence and public intoxication that officials say they hope to curb on Sunday. The goal of the parade is 'keeping alive the tradition of honoring heritage and service,' the war veterans council said in a statement. The parade also has been a source of political controversy in years past. The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council banned gay rights groups from marching in the parade up until a decade ago and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upheld that right in the 1990s. Two gay and lesbian groups joined the parade in 2015. Organizers for one of the groups, Boston Pride, heralded the move as a point of progress at the time.
