St. Patrick’s Day celebrations return to St. Paul

St. Patrick’s Day traditions kicked off in St. Paul in full force for the first time in two years.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in St. Paul started in the afternoon and parties on West Seventh carried into the night.

“We’re super excited to be back out here this year,” Timothy Green, a patron, said. “We’re happy to be out here. We’re super excited about the weather.”

Patrons were bursting with Irish pride as they welcome back an annual tradition that was missed the St. Patrick’s Day parade.

“It’s really about getting us all together each and every year to celebrate and to be green,” Green said.

Last year the parade was a drive-thru version. In 2020, the big celebration was canceled altogether.

But this year, the festivities are back in full force.

At Patrick Mcgovern’s Pub, customers dressed head to toe in their St. Patrick’s Day best while bartenders poured green beer around every corner.

“It’s refreshing. We had a tough couple years with covid,” Pat Boemer,Patrick Mcgovern’s Pub bar owner, said.

Two years ago, Boemer’s bar was empty following the covid shutdown.

Last year, there was a capacity cap on patrons causing sales to dip. But this year the green is pouring in.

Boemer said it’s great to be back and he’s optimistic about the future.

“It’s very encouraging and it’s fun to see the faces out again,” he said. “I’m feeling lucky for a lot of reasons.”