Southie Rules

You know the saying, “everybody’s Irish on St Patrick’s day?” Well in South Boston, that might be more truth than cliché. The small neighborhood affectionately referred to as “Southie” is home to the Boston stereotype; tight-knit, Irish, working-class, hard-drinking, wicked tough people. While yuppies and high-rise condos slowly erode the Southie of old, one tradition holds strong - the St Patrick’s Day Parade.

Most parades are passive events. You sit, watch, and wave as the floats pass by. Maybe you catch some beads or candy if you’re lucky. In Southie, there is active, alcohol-fueled participation. I saw people dancing through bagpipers, high-fiving the pope, and one inebriated patriot charging down the street waving an American flag that had been dropped off a fire truck. Public drinking is barely concealed and there is an ominous feeling that we are a couple spilled beers, racial slurs, and a head butt away from a riot. A friend of mine from Dublin chose to hop a flight across the pond to celebrate his patron saint’s holiday in Boston rather than the motherland. It’s not the dyed green river of Chicago or the extravagant parade of New York City, but St Patrick’s Day in Southie is definitely a bucket-list experience. Here are some highlights from this years debauchery.