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Is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston canceled? – Metro US

Is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston canceled?

Is the st. Patrick's day parade in Boston canceled

Thanks to Mother Nature and all that snow she dumped during this week’s Nor’easter, things have been in limbo for the 2018. St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston.

Mayor Marty Walsh hinted at a press conference during Tuesday’s snowstorm that the annual festivities in Southie may be canceled altogether if they can’t clear the streets in time.

“We’re gonna make a determination a little later on what to do with Sunday — whether we have the parade or cancel the parade,” Walsh said at the time. “We’ll play it by ear and see as we go through the next few days to see how it goes, but we still have a lot of work to do as far as the removal of snow.”

Since the big event is just a few days away, let’s take a look at the latest news about this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston.

Is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston canceled?

Is the St. Patrick's Day parade in Boston canceled southie updates

According to the latest updates, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston is, in fact, still good to go for Sunday — however, a few changes have been made to this year’s festivities.

Mayor Walsh announced on Wednesday that a special snow route will be used instead of the traditional route due to safety concerns stemming from this week’s blizzard. As of now, the parade will start at Broadway Station and end at Farragut Road.

“Our number one priority will always be to keep our residents safe at all times,” Mayor Walsh said in the announcement. “The snow route has allowed for a safe and enjoyable celebration in other years when there has been heavy snow before the parade, and I commend the Public Works Department for working diligently to ensure that Broadway will be safe and accessible by Sunday.”  

Boston Police Commissioner William Evans echoed Walsh’s statement, saying that the snowfall “makes it more difficult to manage this weekend’s parade in South Boston and it has created a situation where we do not feel that it is safe enough for children and families to watch the parade.”

“It is important not to add more congestion to the roads in the neighborhood,” Evans added. “Utilizing the snow route that has been successful in years past and will be safer for all of us.”

The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, which organizes the annual event, isn’t happy with Mayor Walsh’s decision and criticized him in a Facebook post for not adhering to the traditional route.

“We have a permit to march the entire route,” parade organizer Tim Duross told Metro on Thursday morning. “This is a 117 year [old] parade, and we’ve never had a mayor tell us he couldn’t clear the streets for the parade.”

“We don’t agree with it,” he adds. “It takes the historic part out of the parade.”

Duross notes that “they are fighting it” and are reviewing their options to try and have the original route reinstated.

“We went to court in 2016 because the mayor tried to shorten the parade, and we won,” Duross says. “Here we go again. He’s claiming it’s a snow issue, but he’s been advocating for this short route since Monday, before the snow even started.”

Since the decision as to which route is used for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston will likely not be decided until the “third hour,” anyone who wants to attend this year’s event should keep an eye on the parade’s website to see if any changes are made before Sunday’s festivities.