In Cleveland, St. Patrick's Day is everywhere. Downtown? Packed. Neighborhood Irish pubs? Packed. That little Mexican joint down the street? Everyone's dressed as leprechauns. Your parents' attic? Dad's looking for his green sweatshirt (and Dad's German-Italian).
It's not an understatement to say that Clevelanders love — make that LOVE — St. Patrick's Day.
On one hand, it makes sense because a large number of Clevelanders are at least partly Irish. On the other hand, everyone else likes to pretend they are. Either way, St. Patrick's Day in Cleveland might produce the single most potent beer contact buzz of the year.
The thing about St. Paddy's day is that there is no single "there." To see the real action, though, head Downtown for the parade, which runs down Superior Avenue from East 18th Street to right around East 3rd Street. With more than 10,000 participants and nearly 500,000 visitors (!) Cleveland puts on one of the largest St. Paddy's Day parades in the country.
Our advice for most Cleveland events and attractions typically includes some variation of "be ready to drink." We really mean it this time. If you're Downtown, a number of bars and restaurants open their doors to parade-goers early and get things started with that breakfast of Irish-for-a-day champions, kegs and eggs. Someone will inevitably say "top o' the mornin' to ya" ... and there's an extremely good chance it will be you. Or that guy (you know that guy). The bars stay open throughout the parade and are usually packed to the gills with revelers for most of the day.
Be ready for large crowds. We're not talking shoulder-to-shoulder, though. St. Patrick's Day crowds in Cleveland are of the "this-guy's-beard-is-scratching-my-ear-but-I-don't-see-any-way-around-it" variety. You can try to maintain a wide stance and create space for yourself ... but why fight it?
Don't drive because you're probably going to be drinking. Cabs. Ride sharing. A new pair of walking shoes. All are necessary investments today.