CHICAGO (CBS) — Irish eyes are smiling in the Beverly, Morgan Park, and Mount Greenwood neighborhoods, as the South Side Irish Parade is set to return after a two-year hiatus.
Organizers of the parade announced its return on Facebook and Twitter, with the hashtag #TraditionMarchesOn.
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The parade will be held at noon on March 13, along Western Avenue from 103rd Street to 111th Street.
The South Side Irish Parade was canceled the past two years due to the pandemic.
More details on its return are expected to be announced soon.
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The tradition began in the Beverly, Morgan Park, and Mount Greenwood communities in 1979, but the pandemic wasn’t the first time it was forced to shut down.
The parade became so popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s that it became more like Mardi Gras, turning into an increasingly rowdy event, drawing crowds in the hundreds of thousands, many of them getting drunk even before the parade began.
Neighbors became increasingly frustrated with the crowds, prompting organizers to put the parade on hiatus for a few years after the 2009 parade, with the parade eventually returning in 2012 with a more family-friendly atmosphere ever since.
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Even though last year’s parade was canceled, organizers still encouraged people who live in the area to celebrate St. Patricks’ Day by decorating their homes for a “Shamrock Our Blocks” contest.
Source: CBS Chicago
