Yes, the parade was a day late — St. Patrick’s Day was on Friday this year — but that didn’t stop revelers from lining the parade route along 20th Street South, rocking green shirts, hats, wigs, scarves, beads and even a tutu. The afternoon was sunny but windy, with temperatures in the upper 40s when the parade kicked off at 1:30 p.m.
For about 40 minutes, the holiday procession rolled along the street, featuring floats, marchers, dance troupes, roller derby skaters, decorated trucks, festive vans and more. Participants in the parade threw green beads and packets of candy to folks attending the event, paying special attention to children who seemed delighted to catch the treasures.
This was Birmingham’s 39th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, according to organizers, and the culmination of a two-day celebration in Five Points that included an Irish flag raising ceremony, live music and lots of socializing on Friday.
People of all ages (and several tail-wagging dogs) could be spotted along Saturday’s parade route, which ran from Ninth Avenue South to 13th Avenue South. The crowd was thickest in the hub of Five Points South, near the fountain at 20th Street South between Magnolia Avenue and 11th Avenue South.
Highlights from the parade included performances by Magic City Disco, boogieing with enthusiasm to “Disco Inferno”; skaters from a junior roller derby group; youthful dance troupes with sassy attitudes; floats with giant shamrocks and inflatable animals; and a fire truck that flaunted a stuffed version of the Buc-ee’s beaver. (Spectators chanted “Buc-ee, Buc-ee, Buc-ee,” as the truck passed.)
Part of the crowd quickly dispersed when the parade ended, while others stuck around for a concert by the Pine Hill Haints, playing on a stage in front of Highlands United Methodist Church. The post-parade celebration was set to continue throughout the evening at bars and restaurants in Five Points South.
