There’s no better place in the South to get your fill of floats, froth and fun on St. Patrick’s Day than in Savannah. Celebrating its 188th St. Patrick’s Day on March 17, the city of Savannah has mastered the art of successfully combining family-friendly fun, Irish religious tradition and a river’s worth of green beer in one daylong event.
“On St. Patrick’s Day, there is a huge Irish mass and breakfast celebrated by the community that rolls into a four-hour parade through the city which is one of the great family events of the year,” says Joe Marinelli, president of Visit Savannah. “Not only is this celebration shared by the citizens of Savannah, but the tens of thousands of visitors that come. It’s really something to behold and people come not only from all over the United States but all over the world to enjoy it.”
Chattanoogans Robert and Lindsey Whittaker are among the many that have made it their yearly tradition to travel to Savannah for the event. “It’s like a UT football game but with three times as many people, three times as long and without the football,” says Robert, who has traveled to Savannah nearly every year since college and took his wife for the first time last year.
Party-seekers can grab a beer and take to historic River Street for a whole new ballpark of adult St. Patrick’s Day fun, says Robert. You can let loose with live entertainment all day and join the festivities by wearing, drinking, eating and celebrating all things green on the packed cobblestones.
“It’s a big crowd, so if you’re into crowds then it’s a good place to be,” says Robert. “It’s a lot of fun especially for people in my age demographic – 20s to 30s. It’s a big party.”