Folks accustomed to sipping green beer while sitting outside watching Delray’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade roll by will have to change up their routine this year.
In a push by parade promoters and the city to clear Atlantic Avenue of smashed beer bottles and shield kids from watching adults pound back Irish car bombs, commissioners have banned outdoor alcohol consumption at the 46th annual event.
Aiming to tame some of the 100,000 spectators on March 15 is a big shift from typical holiday celebrations, where enforcement against walking around with a cold one is lifted and Atlantic Avenue is transformed into one long block party.
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“It’s always been a community, family-oriented parade,” said Mayor Cary Glickstein. “There are plenty of places along Atlantic Avenue that serve alcohol.”
Many parents support the outdoor alcohol ban during an event that annually honors hundreds of firefighters from around the world.
“The parade should be more family friendly,” said resident Joycelyn Patrick. “Public drinking is just not a good example for our youth.”
But some spirited residents are not happy with the sobering decision. Multiple online petitions asking to bring outdoor drinks back began circulating on social media this week.
“It’s a party, drink up,” said resident Howie Chapman.
Parade-goers aren’t the only ones feeling slighted by the city’s ban on outdoor consumption.
O’Connor’s Pub Owner Justin Racine said the city denied him a permit to serve patrons in an outdoor tent. The “tent party” started six years ago when Racine realized the inside of his pub couldn’t handle the thirsty mobs.
“Everyone wants to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of people here, and we don’t have the capacity to take care of them.”
But onlookers who enjoy the festivities should rejoice the parade’s still on Delray’s calendar at all.
The fate of the long-standing celebration was questioned last year after downtown merchants asked commissioners to reduce the number of events that close Atlantic Avenue.
When Glickstein asked what downtown events could be eliminated to help out the merchants, Assistant City Manager Bob Barcinski listed the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Ultimately, the event received approval to stay with a stronger focus on family and less on alcohol, which some residents think drinkers will ignore.
To monitor the on-street alcohol intake, parade planners are dishing out $17,503 so police officers can patrol the route.
Since it is the first time the rules have changed, parade organizers asked officers to exercise some leniency toward outdoor drinkers.
“We’re requesting that you get to dump your drink in the trash,” said parade consultant Bernard Ryan.
Police spokeswoman Sgt. Nicole Guerriero said officers don’t have an enforcement plan in place yet, but they are working on it.
“We want to be fair,” she said.
mgottesman@tribune.com, 561-243-6544 or Twitter @marisag_ss