Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade returns after COVID hiatus

BOSTON (AP) — Boston's St. Patrick’s Day celebration is back after a two-year hiatus.

For the first time since the pandemic began, South Boston is holding its boisterous parade. The procession steps off at 1 p.m. Sunday.

In 2020, St. Patrick’s Day parades across the country were among the first major events cancelled as the virus hit the United States. Many returned this year, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over.

Boston is home to one of the country’s largest Irish enclaves. The last time the parade was held, in 2019, thousands of revelers crowded the streets of South Boston, many wearing green and waving Irish flags.

Organizers decided to hold the parade this year but shorten the route, excluding Dorchester Heights. They made the decision during the omicron surge.

The parade is hosted by the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council. David Falvey, council commander, told The Boston Globe that the focus for this year was to bring the parade back in some form, even if not the full route, after two very long years away.