Boston has celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a parade through the streets of South Boston for more than 300 years, and up to 1 million people, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says, are expected to attend the parade this year. With such popular support, it may not be surprising that a new report names Boston as the best American city to be in to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
The report by personal-finance company WalletHub compared the 200 largest U.S. cities by 15 metrics, including Irish pubs and restaurants per capita, the lowest prices for a three-star hotel on St. Patrick’s Day and the expected weather.
“Boston is the best city for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, and it’s known for its iconic parade, which has been around since 1724,” says WalletHub writer and analyst Chip Lupo. “Over 13% of the city’s residents have Irish roots, and Boston has the sixth-most Irish pubs and sixth-most Irish restaurants per capita.”
The parade will be held on March 16, a day before St. Patrick’s Day, beginning at 11:30 a.m at Broadway station. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority posts a St. Patrick’s Day guide and a map of the day’s parade route on its website.
“Due to street closures and parking bans in the neighborhood, driving to the parade is not recommended,” the authority says. “Please plan ahead for your trip — you may need to wait longer than usual to get on a train.”
If you are not a local resident or don’t plan a trip to Boston, there are numerous other cities with top-flight St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, the WalletHub report says.
The second-best city is Reno, Nevada, and Savannah, Georgia ranks No. 3. Rounding out the top 10 in WalletHub’s report are No. 4 Santa Rosa, California, followed consecutively by Worcester, Massachusetts; Chicago; New York; Henderson, Nevada; Buffalo, New York, and Pittsburgh.
“The best cities for St. Patrick’s Day combine rich traditions with tasty and affordable food, safe conditions to celebrate and good weather,” Lupo says. “Celebrating in one of these cities will increase your chances of having a memorable holiday, as long as you don’t overdo it.”
The report also uncovered some unique findings:
*New York has the most Irish pubs per capita — nearly 35 times more than San Jose, California, the city with the lowest number. New York also has one of the lowest rates of DUI-related fatalities — 32 times less than in Salem, Oregon, the city with the highest rate.
*Naperville, Illinois has the highest share of Irish population — 48 times greater than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the lowest share. Naperville also has the lowest violent-crime rate — nearly 57 times lower than Oakland, California, the city with the highest rate.
*Milwaukee, Wisconsin has the lowest average beer price — 1 1/2 times less expensive than in Anchorage, Alaska, the city with the highest average price.
Tampa, Florida, which ranks No. 21 in the report, holds its St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Saturday, March 15, and colors its river waters green.
A Saturday celebration allows more people to enjoy the festivities without worrying about work the next day, says Caroline Keesler, a Tampa Downtown Partnership marketing and communications official.
About 20,000 people attended Tampa’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration last year, and more are expected this year, Keesler says.
The festivities will include artist Trisha Sham, who will paint throughout the event, and a five-piece Celtic band called the Irish Buskers. The headline musical act is George Pennington & the Odyssey, a local band that fuses rock, blues, funk and jazz into its performance.