St. Patrick’s Day: How Alexandria Will Celebrate Amid Pandemic

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The traditional parades, festivals, races and large parties that often mark the St. Patrick’s Day season and celebrate Irish heritage this month will again mostly not take place this year as the coronavirus pandemic approaches the one-year mark.

One of the canceled events was the Alexandria St. Patrick's Day Parade held by the Ballyshaners. This year would have marked the 40th annual parade.

Many of 2020’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations were muted at the last minute as the spread of the virus was declared a global pandemic just six days before the March 17 holiday. This year, with more time to prepare, there’s a different vibe as events go on virtually and in more creative ways.

In Alexandria, several local venues are hosting St. Patrick's Day specials on Wednesday, March 17:

• Murpy's Irish Pub: St. Patrick's Day menu to-go available, live entertainment begins at 10 a.m., Irish dancing planned on patio, Irish breakfast available all day
• Murpy's Irish Pub and Daniel O'Connell's Irish Restaraunt and Bar: The two Irish pubs are participating in the Guinness Challenge from March 16 to 19. They will try to sell 10,000 pints of Guinness before the other and raise $5,000 for Christ House in Alexandria.
• The Birchmere: The venue will host the Gaelic Storm St. Patrick's Day Livestream concert. This show will be virtual only at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17.
• Northside 10: St. Patrick's Day Irish Tailgate, a socially-distanced event in the garden on Wednesday, March 17. Live music from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Bring chairs and masks.
• Union Street Public House: Special St. Patrick's Day menu offered.

St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in America date back to 1631, according to National Geographic. Originally declared a feast day, over time the holiday increasingly became associated with the Irish American tradition.

The 2020 St. Patrick’s Day holiday celebrations were the first in some places to be canceled in centuries. New York City’s annual parade was not held for the first time since 1762; and Savannah, Georgia, which also hosts one of the nation’s largest parades, canceled its event for the first time since its 1824 inception.

Among the largest yearly neighborhood Irish celebrations across America is Chicago's South Side Irish Parade, which traditionally steps off on the Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day in the tight-knit Beverly community.

“Around here, the day of the South Side Irish Parade is like having Christmas and your birthday on the same day,” Tim McSweeney, co-chair of the South Side Irish Parade committee, told Patch.

Since city of Chicago officials decided not to grant any parade permits until at least April this year, the popular community parade itself was canceled for the second year in a row. But organizers have turned their disappointment into a way to help the small businesses that have supported the parade for years and have been impacted by the pandemic.

McSweeney and other parade organizers this year created “Shamrock Our Blocks,” a neighborhood decorating contest that will award the most creative displays with gift cards to local businesses.

“This keeps the joy and spirit of the South Side Irish Parade alive, celebrates St. Patrick’s Day responsibly during the pandemic and gives people something fun to do,” McSweeney said.