Chicago South Side Irish Parade Replaced by Family Events

The St. Patrick's Day Parades in Chicago are legendary, with not one, but two of the largest parades in the United States. That is, until last year, when the organizers of the South Side Irish Parade canceled the St. Pat's Parade that attracted about 300,000 people annually. For 2010 there will still be a St. Patrick's Parade in downtown Chicago, and the Chicago River will still be dyed green, but the South Side Irish Parade will not be held.

The St. Patrick's Day Parade in downtown Chicago will continue, as will the dying of the Chicago River. However, the neighborhood parade on the south side grew too large and rowdy, so organizers called it quits because of crowds and public drunkenness. While there will be no South Side Parade for St. Patrick's Day, there is an informal movement for people to commemorate the tradition by dropping in for a pub crawl.

The parade had become a event for overindulging in alcohol and for wild partying. In addition, the 2009 parade had a record number of arrests, according to an article in the Chicago Sun Times,Farewell cheers for South Side Irish; January 29, 2010.

There has been a movement on Facebook to show up anyway for an informal pub crawl, with the hopes of setting a record number for a pub crawl. Over 13,000 people have pledged to attend the pub crawl to commemorate the long running St. Patrick's Day parade on the South Side of Chicago.

The South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade started out 30 years ago as a neighborhood parade but got a reputation for its wild party atmosphere, compared to Mardi Gras. In 2009, after record arrests and drunkenness, festival organizers called it quits for the huge parade. The parade was a tradition for many people in Chicago who were saddened to see the long time Chicago celebration end.

St. Patrick's Day was originally a religious observation and holiday in Ireland. The St. Patrick's Day Parades in the United States were originally organized to demonstrate the powerful voting bloc represented by the Irish immigrants as they marched down the street.

The South Side Irish has canceled the massive parade, but they are continuing with their religious observations and family events. In place of the parade is the South Side Parade Fest, a family oriented event held at the Beverly Arts Center. The neighborhood celebration will include live entertainment by bagpipers, Irish dancers, Irish themed arts and crafts, a childrens' parade and Irish soda bread.

According to the South Side irish website, In place of the parade, the South Side Irish have organized the South Side Parade Family Fest, a St. Patrick's Day celebration held at the Beverly Arts Center, which includes Irish soda bread, a childrens' parade and Irish themed arts and crafts, Irish dancers and live entertainment by bagpipers. The family event will be held at Beverly Arts Center on Saturday, March 13, 2010.

On Sunday, March 14, the day that the parade would have been held, the focus will be on church, home and neighbors. There will be the Annual Irish Mass on Sunday morning at the Cajetan Catholic Church.. Locals will be invited to he Beverly Arts Center for a blessing and reception. After the gathering, the parade committee is encouraging residents to celebrate in their homes with friends and family.

St. Patrick's Day is bound to be quieter in the Beverly neighborhood where the South Side Irish Parade has been held, drawing people from throughout the Chicago area. Hopefully, if people do swarm into the area for a pub crawl they will be respectful of the area residents and party responsibly.

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