Be gone snow! Be gone! We’re ready for old man winter to pack up and leave town. It’s been fun hibernating, but at this point we need sunshine, warmer temperatures (we’ll settle for 50 degrees at this point!), and some good old-fashioned springtime fun in OCMD. The good news is one of our favorite events is just around the corner…Ocean City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade! We love this event for so many reasons but here are our top five reasons:
Dressing Up: We love any excuse to dress up – Halloween, themed parties, sporting events – you name it and we’ll break out the festive costumes in a heartbeat. St. Patrick’s Day is no exception as we don our green attire and shamrock-themed apparel and accessories. It’s a sea of green come Saturday and we can’t wait to see what this year’s more festive participants have come up with.
Festive Crowds: Going hand and hand with dressing up is the excitement of a festive crowd. Watching thousands of Ocean City locals and visitors share in the festive vibe of the day never gets old, and after the winter we’ve had it’s a safe bet people are itching to get outside and celebrate.
Fun for All Ages: While St. Patrick’s Day lends itself heavily towards the 21 and over crowd, the annual parade is fun for all ages. Kids get to share in the excitement of dressing up and watching as the parade marches south down Coastal Highway. What’s more, most of the floats and parade participants toss candy into the crowd for the kids.
Spring Signifier: It’s not always warm on St. Patrick’s Day; in fact, we’ve had many years where we were bundled up in our winter gear for the event, but nonetheless, St. Patrick’s Day marks the arrival of spring, and THAT is a glorious thing.
Parading Businesses: The parade is a great chance for local businesses and organizations to gain some exposure as they parade past locals and visitors alike. Our favorites of course are the dogs that get to strut their stuff as the amazing volunteers from the Worcester County Humane Society march them proudly along. Who knows, maybe you’ll spot a precious pooch that you’ll want to give a forever home!
Post Parade Fun: Each year, many local businesses choose the weekend of the parade to open for the season. It’s a typically a banner weekend for local bars and restaurants with large crowds of visitors and locals heading out in town for the weekend. Typically, we start our parade day at Belly Busters on 45th Street. The parade culminates at the 45th Street Village, making the local sub shop the perfect place to enjoy some tasty grub while taking in all of the festivities. Next, we stop in Shenanigans, the Ocean City St. Patrick’s Day headquarters. This year Shenanigan’s is celebrating its 25th Paddy Day Bash, showcasing five days of festive fun (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Tuesday). Next up is party central – Seacrets. Seacrets is primed for the “locals New Year” with their annual Irie-ish Music Fest. The event will include 7 live bands, 5 live DJs, and Ocean City pipes and drums.
Grab your green gear and get ready for the first big event of the spring season. The parade is Saturday, March 14 and starts at 11. The parade will travel from 58th Street to 45th Street. We’ll see you all there!
