What Really Happened To Hoboken's St. Patrick's Parade, And Will It Return In 2023?

HOBOKEN, NJ — In January 2012, Hoboken's independent St. Patrick's Parade Committee — a group that is not a part of city government — posted a letter on its website saying it would cancel the 26th annual parade that year.

"The city of Hoboken’s inability to protect our spectators, bands and participants led us to this heartbreaking decision," the letter stated.

Before that, the parade was always held the first Saturday in March to get the best bands.

But as time went on, Hoboken attracted more young people partying on that day, some in house parties.

Mayor Dawn Zimmer said at the time that moving the parade to a weekday might help solve the problems. But she and the committee could not come to an agreement.

After that, private bar crawls sprang up in the event's place on the first Saturday in March — one infamously called "Leprecon." There's even a bar crawl already scheduled for March 4, 2023.

But local businesses have launched a survey to see if Hoboken should have a "family friendly" parade in March.

Coming Back?

"The Hoboken Business Alliance is considering a proposal to reinstitute a family-friendly St. Patrick’s Day Parade, to replace the current unsanctioned bar crawl that has previously taken place on the first Saturday of March," said the city said in a message Nov. 2.

"To gain public input into this proposal, the HBA today launched an online public survey for members of the Hoboken community. To take the survey and provide feedback, go to https://bit.ly/3zyyamb."

The results have not yet been announced, and Patch will post them here when they are.

Bars have said that St. Patrick's and a few other events provide revenue to help them survive the slow summer months.

Business Alliance Board of Trustees President James Runkle told NJ.com last week, "The idea is that that time of year is a little slow ... That’s where the family-friendly idea came in, that it’s in different parts of the city, not just focused on Washington Street.”

In recent years, the city has increased fines and publicity about alcohol-related offenses. Law enforcement officials said arrests have declined during "Leprecon" each year.

Two years ago, a St. Patrick's bar crawl was held the first Saturday in March. Six people were arrested.

Two weeks later, the COVID pandemic shut the bars and restaurants down.

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