Thousands, including high schoolers, marched in San Francisco’s 176th St. Patrick’s Day Festival while tens of thousands watched from their screen at home.
The event was kicked off with the parade at 10 a.m., followed by a festival that lasted until 5 p.m. It started at 2nd Street and ended at Market Street, with the festival held in the Civic Center.
The parade celebrated Irish culture, and thousands come from all over the Bay Area to celebrate their heritage or to participate in Irish tradition.
“I go the festival every year! The music and parade make me feel home even though I’m so far from home. Irish folk sure have a lot of pride,” Dianne Russell, an Irish attendee said.
There was a large population of students from high schools all over the area, dressed head-to-toe in green to celebrate the Saturday holiday.
“My friends and I went all out this year. We are decked out in green. […] It’s just fun to get hyped up with your friends and have a good time,” Sam Lamprais, junior at Menlo-Atherton, said.
Local teens used the opportunity to spend the day in the city exploring.
“My friends and I took the BART to get here, stopped and had brunch at a cute restaurant on Market, and then headed over the festival. It’s a lot of fun to come spend a day in the city with friends and take pictures,” Ruby Rodriguez, senior at Menlo School said.
Students saw the festival as a social opportunity as well as a celebration.
“This is my first year coming to the festival, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s a great way to meet people from schools near mine. At stuff like this, you just end up talking to the kids around you,” Kathryn Williams, junior at Woodside High School, remarked.
Although many police officers supervised the festival, excessive drinking and fights surfaced as a minor issue during the event.
“It’s so important to know your limits and to put safety over everything else in these situations. It sucks to see other kids getting into trouble and fights when it could have been prevented. The parade is supposed to be fun,” Hiram Lugo, junior at Burlingame High School, commented.
At the end of the festival, most students headed in groups to other social events.
“After this, my friends and I are going to Dolores Park to hang out and get tacos,” said Alex Rodriguez, senior at Burlingame High School. “We wanted to spend the day here. It ended up being such a nice day. There’s even a rainbow.”
