🍀🍺 Southie’s about to get ROWDY

Happy Friday, Boston!

🍕 And happy Pi Day! Even if you don’t care about math (same), you’ll probably be into all of these local Pi Day pizza deals. Besides that list, you can also get a $3.14 flatbread at Salt + Stone and, unrelated to Pi Day, a free classic pita at Saloniki. You’re welcome. <3

🎂 And happy birthday to B-Sider Leon VR! You have a pizza our hearts. Have an amazing day! 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• MBTA fare evaders: Your time is up

• Boston’s ‘sanctuary’ resolution

• An ill-timed sports collab

Up first…

ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Your Southie parade survival guide

Feeling lucky? Well, you should, because Southie’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade is BACK this Sunday. 

Here’s how to get through the day like a pro:

🍀 The parade will start a bit earlier than usual. 11:30 a.m., to be exact. And since fewer orgs are invited to march, it’ll also likely be shorter. The 3.5-mile route will be business as usual, starting at Broadway station, taking West then East Broadway toward Marine Park before turning around and heading back on East 4th Street. Then, it’ll head to Thomas Park before taking Dorchester Street back to Andrew Square. 

🚘 We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: DON’T DRIVE! Parking will be banned on a ton of streets, and towing will start at 3 a.m. Sunday morning. If you have a Southie parking permit, you can keep your car at Marine Park Garage for a discounted price.

🚇 Honestly, the T and buses won’t be much better. The Red Line will be running rush hour service from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but trains could bypass Broadway station when crowds are particularly bad. Meanwhile, Southie buses won’t stop at Broadway after 9:45 a.m. or Andrew after 10:15 a.m., and routes 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, and 47 will be detoured around the parade area.

🚂 As for the commuter rail … It’ll be running additional cars to accommodate parade attendees. But beware: five lines will be on wonky, modified parade day schedules. The MBTA is also running a special shuttle between South Station and South Boston from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

👀 For a good time and an even better view: Get there as early as you can and camp out on Broadway, specifically around L Street. Bonus points if you can snag a res at a restaurant on the route. But keep in mind: On parade day, Southie bars and restaurants will stop allowing new customers by 6 p.m. and will close by 7:30 p.m., and packies will close at 4. If you’re trying to avoid the crowds, try Medal of Honor Park or Thomas Park. Plus, you can always stream it from home.

😬 Seriously, we’d watch the tomfoolery. Between recent warnings from Southie officials and the BPD, we’d guess officials are going to crack down on excessive drinking and rowdiness this year. So, a few quick safety reminders: Public drinking (including on the T) is illegal, backpacks and large bags aren’t allowed on the parade route, and finally, there are 180 public restrooms on the route … just in case. 

🌈 Whew! You get all that? Check here for any other Q’s.

🙋‍♀️ Not really a parade person? This week’s B-Side members send will cover celebrations for foodies, homebodies, and anyone else who doesn’t want to spend their Sunday fighting for their lives on Broadway. Sign up here!

TOGETHER WITH THE BOSTON POPS

As if “Let it Go” couldn’t get any better…

❄️ ☃️ Now, imagine hearing it backed by a live orchestra. Experience “Disney’s Frozen in Concert” at Symphony Hall, where The Boston Pops will bring every note to life as the full film plays on the big screen. Expect chills (not just from Elsa’s powers), an emotional crisis during “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”, and a whole new respect for Idina Menzel’s lung capacity. Whether you’re bringing kids as a cover or fully embracing your inner Disney adult — grab your tickets now!

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🚃 MBTA fare evaders: It’s reckoning szn. According to MBTA GM Phillip Eng, anyway. On Wednesday, Eng spoke about the T’s efforts to tackle fare evasion with new gates at commuter rail hubs and a “fare engagement” team. As of right now, it’s so far, so good. Back in 2019, the T estimated it loses about $30 million every year to fare evasion across buses, the T, and the commuter rail. But since Eng implemented the “engagement” team (a group responsible for making sure riders pay up), the MBTA has seen a 30% increase in payment. 

🏳️‍⚧️ Boston is Mass.’ newest LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city. The City Council voted 12-1 on Wednesday to become a “sanctuary city” for queer and trans folks as President Donald Trump continues to attack the LGBTQIA+ community. Councilor Ed Flynn was the only “no” vote, saying though he supports the community, he wanted to learn more about how the resolution would impact the city. The vote is mostly symbolic, but doubles down on Boston’s commitment to supporting folks and calls on city agencies to not comply with harmful federal or state policies.

❄️ Winter is changing. So is our city budget. In the face of our rapidly warming winters, local cities and towns have had to rethink the way they’re using money and resources typically reserved for winter preparedness. Think: Using leftover school snow days to shut down during summertime heat warnings. Here in Boston, the city cut over $1.2 million from its snow budget this year and put that cash toward helping residents contend with extreme heat, like cooling centers or AC in senior centers — a trend that’ll likely continue.

🦃 Brookline’s most notorious villains are back. Of course, we’re talking about turkeys. It’s mating season, which means from now ‘till May, they will be ready to throw hands with innocent passersby. Just this week, a parking enforcement officer was chased into a building, where the turkey continued pecking at them through a glass door. The incident prompted Brookline Police to issue a warning. Remember: Turkeys respond to dominance, so if one comes at you, hold your ground, yell, and even swing your purse. Godspeed.

QUICK QUESTION!

🦃 Have you ever had a run-in with a Boston turkey?

THINGS TO DO

Weekend plans

🍝 Do date night on the cheap. Friendly reminder that Dine Out Boston, a.k.a. Restaurant Week, ends March 15! Can’t decide where to eat? These are the places we’d try first. 

🍀 Get lucky this weekend. Looking for a four-leafed clover but only matching with weeds? Enter: This St. Paddy’s Day single mingle mixer tonight. Green attire (and flags) are encouraged. 

🍺 Prost to vintage shopping. The Brighton Bazaar returns this weekend as the Bierfest Bazaar, so expect all the usual vintage suspects, just with brats, beers, and cottage core vibes. Bonus: If you’re a B-Side member, you get a free poster! 

👯 Add some buds to your bar crawl. This weekend is the Super Bowl for Boston’s bar scene. So if you’re having FOMO, you can hop on this bar crawl with the Making Friends After College FB group (and get a discount). 

🥣 Make a pot with a new pal. The gals from Boston Girls Who Walk are hosting a sip and sculpt pottery class on March 15. Translation: Learn how to make up to three pottery pieces while chatting with other girlies. 

😭 Laugh ‘till you pee a little. You’ve got two options: 1. Watch local singles go on a blindfolded date on stage at this It’s A Date comedy show. 2. Feel gooood at this cannabis drag cabaret (that apparently has a burping contest?)  

🚶 Shake up to your hot girl walk. And by shake up, we mean … birding. Enjoy this weekend’s 60-degree weather with a free guided birding walk around Castle Island on March 15. Apparently you can see tons of cool birdies this time of year! 

😋 Join Boston’s coolest supper club. No Sunday scaries here: The Drop Clock Supper Club is taking folks to Somerville for elevated Egyptian street food on March 16. 

ONE LAST THING

An ill-timed collab

A local sports legend collabing with a local beer legend? Great. A recently traded local sports legend collabing with a local beer legend … a little bittersweet. 

If you’re not up on the latest hockey news, Bruins legend Brad Marchand was traded from the B’s to the Florida Panthers about a week ago … and a few days later dropped a very Boston-coded beer collab with Sam Adams. Yikes!

Whoever does the PR at Sam Adams wasted no time spinning the collab — a brew called the Marchand(y), which came with a pretty silly video as promo — into a remembrance of his time as a Bruin. But that didn’t stop some fans from pointing out the admittedly poor timing. 

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🏒 Thanks for reading! We’ll never forget you, Brad! But we might eventually forget your beer.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, The Boston Pops, for supporting local journalism and bringing unforgettable musical experiences to our community.

🥯 The results are in: Just 11% of polled B-Siders definitively called Boston’s bagel scene “good,” but 57% of readers said there are at least a few diamonds in the rough. One reader said: “I have never felt so compelled to respond to a poll - love you Boston, but no.”

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