St. Paul gearing up for busy St. Patrick's Day weekend
ST. PAUL, Minn. – St. Paul is gearing up for a busy weekend with St. Patrick's Day events, and Xcel Energy Center hosting the Frozen Faceoff.
Patrick McGovern's, off West 7th Street and Kellogg Boulevard, is already decked in Irish decor for the holiday. They're expecting anywhere from 15,000-20,000 people to come through their pub on Friday. They even have a giant tent out back to accommodate the crowds. And to host all those people, they need to bring in extra help.
"On a normal night, we would staff roughly 20 people, and we'll staff 80 on St. Patrick's Day," said owner Pat Boemer.
McGovern's also plans to go through 50-100 kegs of beer on Friday.
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The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says they're cracking down on drunk driving, and there will be extra law enforcement in downtown St. Paul all day Friday and through the weekend.
If you do drive, and end up drinking, DPS says you will not get fined for leaving your car overnight on the street.
"If you're on the street that doesn't have the sign for example, your car can stay there for up to 48 hours without moving," said St. Paul Police Cmdr. Jeremy Ellison. "For them to get a ride home, it's the best decision, it's the safest thing to do."
DPS and police encourage everyone to make smart decisions and have a sober driver, use public transit or rideshare.