BOSTON (WHDH) - The St. Patrick’s Day parade is finally on its way back to Boston!
Tents and stands are popping up all over for revelers to grab their green.
“It’s a good time that we are actually open. We can do it again. It’s like a breath of fresh air,” said vendor Ed McMahon.
City and state officials have been working with police to put the finishing touches on South Boston’s highly anticipated parade scheduled for Sunday.
“With 55 degrees and sunny weather, we are gonna anticipate probably close to a million people — one million people are probably for South Boston,” Councilman Michael Flaherty emphasized. “They have been pent up for two years. This is the first parade.”
RELATED: Boston police announce street closures, parking restrictions for St. Patrick’s Day parade
Organizers say the parade will not roll through Dorchester Heights this year because officials say they were unsure what COVID-19 numbers would be. They say public safety was another major factor.
“The short route has been announced, it’s been vetted, it’s going and that’s what we’re gonna do,” said Director of Parade Operations Bryan Bishop. “Like I said before, next year we are back there.”
This decision has caused major debate across South Boston and while the decision may be disappointing for some, many said they feel the parade’s return is a sign of hope for the future.
“One day at a time. I think it’s great that it’s back and it’s going to be exciting,” said Jack Doherty, the president of College Hype. “I think next year they are going to go back to the long route and we will take what we can get.”
One thing that officials made clear, drinking in public will not be tolerated.
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