A great day to be Irish: From March Madness to St. Patrick's Day
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – St. Patrick's Day celebrations are underway on Friday bringing a big boost for many businesses. Bars are packed and the green beer is flowing.
And it appears for the first time since the pandemic, many people are making up for the lost time.
CBS News Philadelphia was outside Con Murphy's which has been crowded all day. Call it the luck of the Irish, St. Patrick's Day is falling on a Friday.
Many people took the day off to celebrate. Adding March Madness, the owner of Con Murphy's calls it the perfect storm.
From glasses of Guinness to an all-day Irish breakfast.
Many people got an early start to celebrating St. Patrick's Day inside Con Murphy's in Center City.
"We woke up, shotgunned a beer and came out here for some breakfast and drinks," Andy Arenaz from Quakertown said. "That's the best way to get the day started."
Arenaz's t-shirt says it all. It reads "Here for the shenanigans."
He's here to celebrate his fourth wedding anniversary with his wife, Allison.
"It's great for us to be able to get down here again to the city to celebrate," Allison Arenaz said. "We love it. We love Philadelphia, we really really do."
Dressed in their Irish best, even a green mohawk and beard, more people are venturing out this year following COVID-19 and with St. Patrick's Day falling on a Friday during March Madness it has many bars and businesses seeing a lot of green.
"It's the perfect storm," Liam Kelly from Con Murphy's said. "It's a great day to be Irish, it's a great day to be a bar owner."
"It truly is the year people are roaring back and having a great time inside celebrating comfortably and freely," Christopher Mullins from McGillin's Olde Ale House said.
CBS News Philadelphia was told a line stretched down the block before McGillin's Olde Ale House opened for the day.
And inside, it was wall-to-wall people enjoying the festivities and a glass of green beer.
One couple even drove down from Wilkes-Barre down to Philly to celebrate.
"We wanted to see the oldest Irish Pub in Philly and just experience the Irish culture and the fun on St. Patrick's Day," Ann Devlin said.
You can expect the live music and the festivities to continue well into the evening.
Police are reminding everyone to have fun and to drink responsibly.
