Police Map Winning Strategy To Manage Revelers at Montauk St. Patrick's Day Parade

EAST HAMPTON, NY- With thousands expected to descend upon Montauk for the 54th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade this month, East Hampton Town Police said they’re ready to handle the revelers with ease.

“We continue to address the Montauk parade with a successful tactical plan that includes the assistance of all East End Police agencies, as well as the State Police, County Parks and the County Sheriff’s Department,” East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo told Patch .”We have about 100 officers on patrol for the day, not including a full complement of MTA police that handle the trains and train station themselves -—typically another 30 or so officers.”

Despite Montauk’s new reputation as a hot-spot destination, Sarlo said the crowd that turns out for the parade is of a different ilk.

“We have been very successful in calming the rowdy behavior and bringing the parade back to a family event, by strictly enforcing open alcohol laws and working with the MTA to eliminate alcohol on the trains out. The parade has been extremely popular and always drawn huge crowds. It seems to be mutually exclusive of the popularity of Montauk as a summer destination. The parade is its own entity, and we have not seen any difference in the people coming out, so to speak, the people coming out for the summer party scene are not the same crowd that comes out for the parade,” Sarlo said.

The 54th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will kick off from Edgemere Road at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 20 in Montauk.

The parade will wend its way up Edgemere Road, turn on to Main Street, pass by the reviewing stand, by MC Rick White, and then finish at the end of Main Street by the IGA, according to the Montauk Friends of Erin website.

The parade is the second largest in New York, the site said.

This year, Captain Paul Forsberg will serve as the parade’s 54th grand marshal.

In addition, beginning at 10 a.m., the Montauk Chamber of Commerce will serve hot soup in St. Patrick’s Day souvenir mugs; the soups will be made and donated by local restaurants.

Also, the 12th annual corned beef and cabbage dinner will be held at The Point Bar & Grill on Saturday, March 14, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person, $10 for children. The evening will include music by “Todd the Guitar Guy“; the event will include raffles and prizes.

Applications for the 54th Montauk Parade will close March 15. For more info contact the Montauk Friends of Erin.