A little rain didn’t put a damper on tradition at this year’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade and celebration in downtown Pittsburgh! Despite cloudy skies and some light rain, the city managed to maintain its status as the #1 place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Umbrellas and tents lined the sidewalks to guard the green-clad merrymakers from the downpour that came early in the morning. Although the parade officially began at 10 a.m., the sounds of bagpipes, cheers, and vuvuzelas trumpeted down the Boulevard of the Allies as early as 9 a.m.
If you think the cacophony of sounds was the craziest thing about this year’s parade scene, you must not have seen the paradegoers’ outfits. Some guests dressed in kilts and suspenders, while others wore giant green leprechaun hats or Irish tweed caps. Still others were decked out in full green body suits! Lots of people donned fake green beards or dyed their hair green. Meanwhile, street vendors sold a ton of green scarves, hats, beads, and wristbands to paradegoers.
The best part of the St. Patrick’s Day festivities was that everyone arrived in a good mood. The boisterous crowds came ready to have a blast from morning until evening, shirking their responsibilities for a single day of merriment and revelry. There was, of course, a wee bit of drinking to lighten the mood. Some people brought flasks while others stuck to green Jell-O shots in plastic cups. Regardless of how they spent their time at the parade, most partyers took to the streets of Southside or Downtown afterwards to continue their revelry at the local pubs. Green beer for all the lads and lasses!
Now that parade weekend is over, you might think that the St. Patrick’s Day festivities have officially ended. Not to worry! IHOP offered free short stacks of pancakes to any guests who showed up wearing green on Tuesday, March 17th. I hope you took some time out of your busy schedule to score some free cakes and celebrate St. Patty’s Day in style!
Photo source: http://chargerchatter.edublogs.org