Readers Say

Should Southie’s St. Patrick’s Day parade find a new home? Readers are torn.

"I'm a long-time South Boston resident and I've never seen this level of destruction after the parade."

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

March 22, 2024

The South Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade may be a century old tradition, but many Boston.com readers say it’s gone from a family-friendly affair to an out of control mess.

After this year’s parade ended in multiple arrests, trashed streets, and a slew of neighborhood complaints, Ed Flynn, councilor for District 2, has called for the event to be moved out of South Boston indefinitely.

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There were 10 arrests made during the celebration, with charges ranging including disorderly conduct to assault and battery. Six of the people were charged with assault and battery on a police officer, according to a Boston Herald report.

“With almost a million visitors to South Boston for the parade, we can’t sustain an ‘anything goes’ attitude in the neighborhood,” Flynn wrote in a social media post condemning the actions. He told WBUR he would push to have the parade moved downtown if “major changes” don’t come soon.

For most Boston.com readers, the only surprise was that only 10 arrests were made. We asked readers if they agree with Flynn that the parade should be moved and while the 456 readers who responded to our survey were nearly split on the issue, most agreed that the parade has become far too rowdy.

“The Southie St. Patrick’s Day parade has gotten out of control, and unfortunately, it’s a few bad actors who ruin it for most well behaved participants. Moving it to downtown Boston will move the problem, but won’t alleviate it. Since it’s apparent that excessive alcohol consumption is the root cause of most of these problems, taking steps to eliminate or minimize it, is paramount,” said Jeff from Natick.

Should the St. Patrick's Day parade be moved downtown?

Yes

51%

232

49%

226

Public drunkenness, noise, litter, and terrible traffic are so bad, in fact, that a number of current and former Southie residents told us that their St. Patrick’s Day tradition is to get as far away from the parade as possible.

“As a proud Irish American who used to live in South Boston, parade day was always my least favorite day of the year for this reason. My wife and I would actually make plans to leave Southie because it got so crazy. It is also the only day of the season that Sullivan’s on Castle Island closes — for that very reason,” shared Randall, a current Milton resident.

Still, readers are conflicted about moving the parade out of the neighborhood entirely, citing tradition and years of nostalgia.

“I think we should do everything we can to keep the parade in South Boston,” Randall continued. “It is an impressive tradition that has spanned over 120 years. I’m not sure what can be done, besides additional law enforcement resources, but I think the city should use every effort to preserve the South Boston parade.”

A smaller number of readers say the concerns over the conduct at the parade are largely overblown and a product of Boston’s more “puritan” nature.

“It’s always been out of control. It’s once a year. Lighten up,” said Mark from Fall River. “Good lord, this state and its prudes.”

Short of moving the parade out of South Boston, most readers agreed that the city could do more to make the parade a less wild affair, including enforcing rules about public drinking, putting out more trash cans, and having a larger police presence.

Below you’ll find a sampling of responses from readers sharing their thoughts on the St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Some responses have been edited lightly for clarity and grammar.

Has the Southie St. Patrick’s Day parade gotten out of control?

‘I’ve never seen this level of destruction after the parade’

“It’s less about celebrating the holiday, and more about out of control behavior with minimal consequences. For every arrest, there is a resident that is dealing with a multitude of issues ranging from property damage, fights, public intoxication, public nudity and more. The influx of non-residents that feel that it’s an anything goes party is simply out of control. South Boston residents deserve better. What used to be a family friendly event is anything but that these days. Residents have had enough.” — Joe B., South Boston

“It’s long past time for the parade to be canceled or severely scaled back to a level that can be contained. I doubt, with the years of tolerance for bad behavior, that it will be possible to get things in check. The message is out, and it’s loud and clear: the parade is a free-for-all where bad behavior is tolerated. Eleven arrests? It’s obvious for anyone who has attended or experienced the parade that there is a lot more bad behavior that goes unchecked. I lived in South Boston for many years, attended the parade several times, and then started to leave town on parade day to escape the madness. It’s simply out of control, and there’s no place for it.” — Paul, Boston

“I’m a long-time South Boston resident and I’ve never seen this level of destruction after the parade. It’s not just litter everywhere. A plastic display case / sign in front of the public library is completely torn apart. Street signs and bus signs have been torn off and trampled. Fences damaged. Decorations trashed. This isn’t just a place to come, get wasted, and do whatever. People live here.” — Vanessa, South Boston

“The parade is increasingly attended by too many drunks and pot smokers. The route should start in Copley Square and run to Castle Island and not include Andrew Square. One straight line and careful regulation of attendees. Also, the ugly flat-bed truck floats with lousy blaring music should be replaced with some local marching bands, and having a few stages to keep the crowd control in order would help. There is not enough to make it worth it for families to take little kids. The only thing that seems to work well is the military and park service aspect, and there is very little about St. Patrick.” — Richard A.C., Boston

“I honestly think it shows a lack of planning by the city and the disinvestment into the neighborhoods (not just Southie) especially during this age of gentrification. Where are the public toilets and trash bins (and doing so in abundance; Germany is an example of this), for example? Also, the Southie parade is one of the few times of year left in Boston where folks can really ‘let go’ without being overly harassed, and that’s for a reason: if you go to the Esplanade on the 4th, they’ll search your bag and strictly enforce rules. But in Southie? It sounds like the cops let most things go (outside of fighting and violence) because the city just doesn’t care for the neighborhood as much as they do where the higher priced real estate is. People from Roxbury know that a neighborhood caste system has existed for a long time, and this unpreparedness here kind of demonstrates that.” — Sean, Mission Hill

‘I think it should stay as it always has been: a sloppy, gnarly local tradition’

“The Southie St. Patrick’s Day parade has always been this way, and people who move to Southie know this going into it. In a city that limits fun in so many ways (nightlife ends early, liquor licenses are impossible to get, no open container, tailgating concerts and games is forbidden, etc… what is the Nightlife Czar getting paid to do?) this parade is one of the few chances to truly enjoy Boston. Despite a million people showing up to this event every year, crime is rare and the crowd largely controls itself. It’s a tradition like no other. Also, shoutout to the public works employees who so diligently make it look like it never even happened the next day!” — Matt, Brighton

“One million people, and only 10 arrests? Either BPD was not making arrests or this is completely blown out of proportion, because that sounds pretty successful to me! There may be some ways to comb back the level of college kids riding into town on the trains from suburban schools, those are the kids showing up with Borgs and binge drinking. For the most part, I really don’t think there is too much to be concerned about though. They can probably do a better job with trash and litter, with more trash cans available along the route. Cops shouldn’t let folks onto every single elevated surface in sight. But seriously, St. Patrick’s Day is Boston’s one day to get a little rowdy, build community, and come together in Boston’s Irish core.” — Sam, West Roxbury

“I think it should stay as it always has been: a sloppy, gnarly local tradition. I think the main change should be to stop pretending it’s a fun tradition to share with the whole family. even if you remove the drunkenness and all the garbage that goes along with it, it’s still a fairly mid-tier parade, and it’s not like kids love parades, unless they’re spectacular, which this one isn’t. “It’s never been for me, but maybe just let the drunks have this one – and get the message out that families will have a lot more fun elsewhere that day. Cut down on the numbers, and people that will be most put off by the ugliness.” — Mike, Jamaica Plain

Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.