Boston bars ready for busy weekend with March Madness, St. Patrick's Day
BOSTON - Bars in Boston were busy as March Madness tipped off Thursday, and the crowds will only be bigger when St. Patrick's Day festivities kick off.
"It's just one big wave and you ride it until Monday," said Jeff Soivilien at Sullivan's Tap.
A welcome wave for Boston bars and restaurants, looking forward to a big beautiful weekend of business. St. Patrick's Day back in all its Irish glory since before the pandemic - and falling on a Friday for the first time since 2017.
"We expect celebrations Friday, Saturday, and Sunday," said Sarah Palmer from Game On outside Fenway Park. "We're geared up, staffed for it, ready to rock and roll. For our business specifically, this is the kickoff to Opening Day."
But before the return of baseball, it's all about March Madness. Patrons at Game On were celebrating one coworker's perfect bracket so far.
"Didn't really have a strategy for picking," Meredith Braunstein said. "It was a combination of just mascots and not really any strategy just kind of went with it and so far, apparently it's been paying off so that's good."
The grand finale of the weekend will come Sunday in Southie at the St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Police are urging safety, reminding bar patrons to get drinks straight from the bartender and keep those cups close. Package stores in South Boston will close by 4 p.m. Sunday and Southie bars will stop serving at 7 p.m.
"It's a nice chance for people to get out and shake off the winter," Soivilien said. "Definitely just puts something back into the city and it's just great to see us back where we're supposed to be."
Outside Fenway Park, you can expect a sea of green Friday and Saturday. There are already more than 1,000 reservations for a bar crawl down Lansdowne Street.